Second Sunday
by Crystal Delphina
Summary: A 12 hour work day of inventory is dismal at best. Good thing the faithful employees are playing a game with each other to spice up the boring Sunday. War tactics and flirting go hand in hand, along with some good natured betting. Sequel to Third Tuesday
1. Part I

Disclaimer: I by no means own any of the rights to the Clamp manga story of Legal Drug or its characters.

Second Sunday

Sequel to Third Tuesday

By Crystal Delphina

Completed: April 27, 2008

Part I of IV

Kazahaya was confused. Actually confused was an understatement. A few weeks ago, a most embarrassing situation had come about stemming from the unsuspecting catalyst of latex. Somehow, the mere stocking of the…latex devices had lead to a rather odd confrontation with his roommate which he had been completely and utterly unprepared for. Said conflict had resulted in his roommate and himself making out on a bed. However it is important to note that the making out, the one 'pro' of the night, was nearly overshadowed by the 'cons'; an evening comprised of utter confusion, embarrassment, and turmoil for the youth due to the teasing his dark haired comrade had chosen to engage in. The situation had become so dire, that at one point there had been contemplation of taking up permanent residence in his bathroom.

Really the whole night was an insignificant event that is not worth dwelling on, much less mentioning in the first place. Just forget the matter entirely and move on.

Kazahaya was _still_ attempting to make sense of it and he had _been_ there – an active participant in fact. The first few weeks, Kazahaya seemed to have been afflicted by an odd case of paranoia while the well-adjusted Rikuo was a perfectly functioning individual. Kazahaya would look around the corners of aisles while working as if Rikuo would be waiting to jump him in the middle of the store, materializing out of thin air. To give the poor boy some credibility though, that had actually occurred… once. Then he screamed, scaring away a customer, which forced Kakei to reprimand Rikuo over hiding and popping out to scare his co-worker while Saiga erupted into loud uncontrollable laughter. And even though Rikuo had offered a small apology to Kakei - who could barely suppress a smile while trying to be stern with Rikuo - no similar apology was offered to the indignant boy in the corner scowling at him.

To add to his mounting paranoia, Kazahaya would lock the bathroom door when taking a shower. It's only fair to mention that this was in addition to his other methods of self-protection, such as stuffing towels under the door, moving the small wastebasket in front of it for added protection, and even on one occasion, attempting to shove the ends of toothbrushes into the door jam. Needless to say, they didn't fit and he forlornly returned them to their holder on the sink ledge. It's important to note however that Rikuo had never attempted to enter the bathroom while his roommate was inside. That small fact did nothing to stop Kazahaya from experimenting to see if toothpaste held the same properties of glue or cement after drying in the cracks of the door - for educational purposes only of course… His results were negative.

What the young man dreaded the most was the morning wakeup call. On some occasions it was the customary rude alarm clock of a thrown shoe, water being dumped on him, or being beat by a pillow. The usual run of the mill morning altercations between himself and the dark haired youth that had happened all of the time before…ahem… that night (the one you should have forgotten by now because it wasn't worth mentioning in the first place). Since _then_, a new set of morning scenarios had appeared to supplement the old regime. His roommate had decided to take it upon himself to wake up Kazahaya with gentle persistent kisses - along his cheeks and forehead and ones that occasionally lingered on his lips - until the boy finally reached full consciousness. Blushing after waking and realizing what exactly was going on, Rikuo would typically give one more long kiss then get up and leave mentioning something about breakfast on his way out. Oh, and of course a comment related to Kazahaya being late in some fashion; that hadn't changed and most likely never would. However, after such a mind numbing morning arousal – _from bed_ – Kazahaya would continue to lay there for at least a few more moments in stunned silence, then eventually give a sigh of frustration as he began to get up.

What made the whole morning scenario go from bad to worse was that there was no set pattern; he never knew what to expect. It really was all dependent on Rikuo's whim that day. Hell, sometimes he would combine torture and pleasure so Kazahaya was fooled into thinking he was safe for the morning until his clothes for the day were thrown roughly in his face. Or the misleading alternative: having something thrown at him and at the moment he would rise from his bed to begin yelling, Rikuo would steal a quick kiss then walk out the door. Regardless, there was still the laughing and mentioning of lateness and what have you. Then there was secret option number three (or five at this point depending how you're counting); the no-man's land of being tickled awake; Kazahaya really had no idea which category that belonged to.

Kazahaya had discovered a new array of responses to Rikuo as well: a small blush would spread over his cheeks when Rikuo kissed him, he would shudder at the spontaneous contacts of their hands or 'accidental' brush of their limbs while working, and would seethe at Rikuo's insistent teasing or his newfound love of petnames. Earlier in the week, Kazahaya had leapt across the kitchen table and had attempted to strangle Rikuo when the dark haired young man had jokingly called him "sweetheart". Rikuo had attempted to placate his would-be-killer by managing to lean forward and kiss him, despite the hands around his neck. This served to only infuriate Kazahaya further, who quickly detached himself from his prey and indignantly stalked off towards his room to leave the laughing Rikuo behind to clean up dinner by himself.

Aside from everything else, Kazahaya had also noticed he was indignant a lot of the time from the other boy's actions. This realization only served to annoy him further; indignation was slowly mutating into irate.

Although he would blush in a state of seemingly perpetual embarrassment and was skittish around his roommate, cowering in fear if Rikuo showed him any type of intimacy outside of their small apartment, there were those rare times where Kazahaya would be brave and bold enough to take initiative. Sometimes he would catch himself starring at Rikuo while at work and when dark eyes locked with his own, he would give a small mischievous smile. There were moments when Rikuo would be preparing dinner and the brunette would timidly wrap his thin arms around him from behind and rest his forehead against the firm strong back. Or they'd be sharing the couch, watching tv or reading their respective newspaper and magazine, and Kazahaya would slowly move closer to the taller youth until finally he was firmly pressed against his side, with Rikuo never saying a word in regards to their changed proximity. After a few silent moments, Kazahaya would characteristically lurch up to kiss his roommate on the cheek or mouth with no warning, flushed throughout the whole ordeal. Naturally these series of events led to a make out session on the couch – the kind that only teenagers were capable of escalating in a few mere seconds – or Kazahaya jumping up and mumbling something about having to start dinner…even if they'd already eaten. You know, either-or.

And in the past few weeks, Kazahaya had managed to muster enough courage to slip into Rikuo's bed four and a half times while he had been asleep. The half time was the result of when Kazahaya tried to crawl onto the bed only to have Rikuo roll towards him suddenly in his sleep, causing the brunette to fall backwards and land on the floor. He quickly flew through the curtain separating their large room into their respective halves and jumped onto his bed, mortified at his clumsiness and thankful that Rikuo was a heavy sleeper and still softly snoring away. On the nights he had succeeded though, as soon as he crawled under the covers, an arm wrapped tightly around his waist and pulled him decisively to the bed's owner. Nonetheless, Kazahaya continued to wake up alone with Rikuo being an early riser that never disturbed him (until it was time for work that is). Kazahaya's small and timid actions were becoming increasingly bolder as the days went on; his discomfort - aside from store PDA - subsiding naturally. In fact, it had been slowly been replaced by a steadily growing desire; but Kazahaya tried his best to ignore that terrifying thought.

That was generally how the last few weeks had progressed. There had been fights, making up, the occasional small reconnaissance mission, the routine work schedule, the harassment from Saiga, knowing looks from Kakei (even though neither of them had said anything to the older male) and the new unfamiliar flares of jealousy when Rikuo's fangirls fawned over him in the afternoon. Even his usual ritual of drinking tea during his lunch break hadn't had its expected effect of calming his nerves in preparation for their predicted arrival. In disdain and bitter defeat, he had (for the time being) stored his tea up in the cupboard and hadn't touched it in a good week. Instead, Rikuo had teased him for the lethal glares he _supposedly_ directed at the girls dressed in their various school uniforms that flooded the store every afternoon like clockwork.

Although Kazahaya vehemently denied the accusations, he knew that he had indeed hissed at one girl in particular who had come in everyday one week just to gawk at Rikuo and pretend to 'accidentally' knock a box off the shelf just so Rikuo would be forced to bend down and retrieve it for her. It was only made worse when she would give the customary, "I'm so sorry. I'm so clumsy." This was coupled with a small giggle and fluttering of her eyelashes up at Rikuo. The shorter male only stood by the cash register rolling his eyes and at one point was heard mumbling to himself something or other about how it was a shame possession didn't work both ways; he'd "possess her ass out into the middle of the street." Of course Kazahaya denied all claims made by Saiga that he ever said this but the other three men didn't seem inclined to believe his innocence. This continued on until Kazahaya became so irritated, having to greet her through clenched teeth each time she entered the store, that he finally decided to put an end to it one day while Rikuo was in the middle of picking up another 'dropped' tube of toothpaste (the girl must have had horrible dental hygiene because she'd already bought two tubes earlier in the week).

Kazahaya smiled as he shouted across the store. "Oi, Rikuo. Your girlfriend just called." There was no mistaking the pause in the middle of Rikuo's retrieval of toothpaste as he processed the proclamation from his co-worker. There was also no mistaking the look of tragic disappointment that crossed the girl's face as she too processed the new information provided. Rikuo straightened, with toothpaste in hand, and turned to face the other man standing at the counter whose golden eyes were filled with amusement. He appeared completely composed, his voice sounding disinterested as normal as he asked, "Oh? Did she leave a message?"

He had to fight not to openly smirk as he saw the girl behind Rikuo now fidgeting with the dark blue hem of her school uniform skirt. Matters didn't improve when he saw the corner of Rikuo's mouth turn up, an expression Kazahaya had come to know well that meant Rikuo was fighting to control himself. "Yea, something about how she loved the teddy bear you gave her and can't wait to see you later tonight for dinner." Rikuo began to open his mouth to reply when Kazahaya made sure to quickly add, "Oh, and don't forget to wear that cute fuzzy pink sweater she's so fond of." That was it. Kazahaya was sure he'd either die from laughter at the shocked look on the girl's face or the murderous glare that was being directed at him by his co-worker. Thankfully it was then the girl decided to just cut her losses and with a mumbled "thanks for your help," she hurried out of the store leaving her forgotten tube of toothpaste behind in her (ex) crush's hands.

Golden eyes sparkled in delight, mirth, and a general gloating feeling of victory as they watched Rikuo slowly approach him. Although the glare was still present and still quite murderous, the effect just wasn't quite the same when Rikuo was obviously trying to fight against the natural urge to smirk. Secretly, he was incredibly thankful to hopefully be rid of the girl once and for all, although he'd never admit that to the young man standing across the counter from him. Instead he leaned over the counter towards Kazahaya and put the toothpaste down. "Pink's not my color. And I don't recall giving you a teddy bear," he drawled, cocking his head slightly to the side as he gave Kazahaya a nonchalant gaze.

"I don't recall being your girlfriend," Kazahaya shot back coolly, turning to walk away and return to other work. A small grin spread its way onto his face from his dual victories: getting rid of the girl and managing to leave a slightly stunned Rikuo in his wake.

But that statement he had made just a few days ago fully encompassed the exact problem that he faced now.

No, Kazahaya wasn't having a gender identity crisis desiring to literally become Rikuo's girlfriend. (Personally, he really didn't feel skirts and dresses were all that flattering to his figure, although there had been much debate on the matter on many occasions… but that's off topic). Hell, he wasn't even sure he wanted to be his… boyfriend. The very mentioning of the word made him stall and sometimes outright blanch at the idea. How could he ever be described by such a label? In reference to himself and Rikuo nonetheless; his dreaded enemy -slash- cohort -slash- personal pain in the ass. Oh right, and now current make out buddy - mustn't forget that lovely title that he had managed to acquire.

If they weren't 'boyfriends' what the hell were they? That was the million dollar question of the day. Or week. Or better part of a month. Really the time was not what mattered here. It was the principal obviously. Did Kazahaya really want to… date Rikuo? The thought alone made his throat go dry and made it difficult to swallow. What did that even entail? As begrudging as he was to admit it, the prospect at times did sound mildly appealing. Plus, if they were 'boyfriends' would they finally -

"Yo! Space cadet!"

Kazahaya, interrupted from his deep contemplations on the romantic affairs of life, spun around to come face to face with his tormentor; that word carried multiple connotations. However the caramel haired boy, being…well himself, managed to momentarily forget his precarious position on a step stool and his sudden movements caused him to pitch forward and off of the small ladder. As per usual, Rikuo - being Rikuo - caught him by the waist to steady him attempting to prevent both of them being sent crashing to the floor. Thanks to his hands on Rikuo's shoulders for balance and the hands on his waist fort stability, Kazahaya found himself still upright although his face was now very close to that of the dark haired young man. There was a moment's pause before me murmured a breathy "thanks" and then remembering what had caused the initial near-catastrophe, "what'd you want?"

Rikuo was not oblivious to the fact that Kazahaya was leaning all of his weight against him for support. Nor was he oblivious to the very close proximity of their faces. Or the fact that Kazahaya's soft voice coupled with his open expression, since he was quite literally caught unaware, made him quite attractive at the moment. Rikuo couldn't contain the brief appealing thought of stealing a kiss. Except the thought left as quickly as it had come; it seemed far easier for Rikuo to fall back upon their old pattern of interactions, which were routine, than to venture into these new realm of possibilities that kept appearing.

"If you're done counting cold medicines, it's time to move onto pain relievers. Or do you plan to spend at least another hour doing this? I've already managed to start and finish all of the bath products you know." And without another word, much less bothering to wait for a response, he walked away. Never mind the small detail - insignificant really - that Kazahaya had still been using him as his last ditch effort from ending up on the hard laminate tile floor. Granted he only fell a few feet, but he was certain a bruise would probably appear on his shoulder in the morning. The empath turned over so he was laying on the floor, glaring up at the ceiling above him. As he turned his head to the side to direct the full force of his glare at his co-worker, who was walking around the corner at the end of the aisle, he was certain of one thing:

No. He did _not_ want to become Himura Rikuo's boyfriend.

Leave it to Rikuo to always help point out the obvious to Kazahaya.

"Hey Boy, are you planning to lay on the floor all day?" Saiga, peering down at him through dark glasses, nudged his side with his shoe. Grumbling, Kazahaya sat up as Saiga merely stepped over him to continue his rounds of the small drugstore, most likely on his way to either find Kakei or a place to catch some shut eye for a bit.

And thus, with his graceful stand from the floor and subsequent curses concerning "inconsiderate bastards" who failed to help in his standing or were the cause of the fall in the first place, Kazahaya got back to doing the inventory that was required on the second Sunday of the month.

Too bad for him there was still a good five hours left.

--

A.N:. A few notes. One, as many of you hoped, this will be far more adult content than the previous story. Second, because this is a story of my creation, I took some liberties with the characters. I do my best to keep them as 'real' as possible as we have come to know them in the manga without falling prey to stereotyping them in what I consider to be one dimensional fannon roles– hopefully I have managed to balance these two difficult tasks while still making them fun, believable and interesting. I don't think Kazahaya lives in a perpetual state of embarrassment and is some hopeless "uke cat boy". Third, in line with that last part, I tried my best to keep the 'environment' (i.e. their apartment) as close to what has been presented in the manga thus far as possible. However, since I don't have a floor plan of the Legal Drug universe, indulge my imagination. Finally, I will tell you that this is one of the longest stories I have ever written with the fewest chapters. Chapters are _long_. I hope you enjoy the effort, hard work, and many hours I put into this. I would appreciate critical/thoughtful feedback in addition to the normal reviews/request for me to keep writing. Keep in mind – authors may not write for reviews, but they certainly are inspired by them… and are more inclined to post chapters sooner.


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: I by no means own any of the rights to the Clamp manga story of Legal Drug or its characters.

Second Sunday

By Crystal Delphina

Completed: May 29, 2008

Part II of IV

Inventory of the entire store usually only happened once a month, though there had been the rare occasion when Kakei would make them do it twice if their other "jobs" were lacking; they had to earn their keep someway. Inventory was a whole day affair on Sundays that required the employees to be awake and down in the store by eight. They would consider themselves lucky if they were able to leave by nine or ten that night. On at least two occasions, they did not turn off the store lights until well after midnight during the bustling holiday seasons. During those inventory adventures from hell, as the time approached 11:30, Kazahaya had contemplated just making up numbers from rough estimates by looking at the shelves, but sadly he then remembered that he worked for a psychic.

Initially, the thirty minute lunch break at noon had come just in time for Kazahaya, who had been starving after just the first hour despite his well sized breakfast. But now it was four; lunch had come and gone, and hungry once more, he wasn't sure if he could hold out until the small dinner break they had at 6. To add insult to injury, he was a tad irritated that he had been designated the job of counting the remaining boxes and packages of snacks since he supposedly was the only employee that "could be trusted to not consume them at the same time as counting them." Personally, he was under the impression that Rikuo possessed enough self-control and will power to not rip open the first chocolate bar he came across. On the other hand, perhaps he was giving the guy too much credit and Kakei had learned otherwise prior to Kazahaya's employment at the Green Drugstore. Regardless, if it got him out of standing on anymore ladders for the day, he figured he could ignore the gnawing sensation in his stomach only made worse by the assorted marketing gimmicks on the packaging to make the food it contained look irresistible… Damnit, he could resist! Though he couldn't control the small growl that emitted from his stomach.

"Hungry there, muffin?" a voice murmured next to his ear. Of course he knew it was Rikuo; he'd actually been _waiting_ for his next "attack" seeing as he had left him alone for nearly an hour and a half in the small store. But the question wasn't _why_ the green eyed man felt the need to sneak up on him, but _how_. How the hell did he manage to do it? Without any detection whatsoever? Was Kazahaya really that oblivious to his surroundings? He liked to think of himself as a fairly observant individual but Rikuo seemed determined to squash that small bit of self-confidence time and time again.

He turned his head to the side to glance at his co-worker using his periphery vision. "No I'm not hungry," he replied, deciding to ignore the oddly affectionate use of a baked good. He turned back to his work trying to remember what the count of gummy fruit snacks had been before he'd been interrupted. "That's a shame," Rikuo whispered and the brunette suddenly felt a hand trailing its way from his shoulder down the length of his arm and back up. "because I thought I'd offer you a snack." Lips; those were definitely lips on the back of his neck. Sheer panic began to set in; no matter how distracting those lips were and how the thought of letting him continue at the moment was tempting or even how he was willing to let that terribly cheesy line go unmentioned, he would _not_ be seduced in the middle of Green Drugstore - especially not with his boss and the pervert lurking around somewhere waiting to catch them in the act. This needed to end now.

"Rikuo," he growled lowly, trying to send a warning to the young man behind him. However he had to admit that it was far from intimidating and if anything, could have been mistaken for a moan as well – perhaps because it had partly been one. The gentle suction on the side of his neck followed by the warm sweep of a tongue had been poor timing to try and say something to encourage the dark haired teenager to go away. Determined to prevail however and wanting to ignore the warm feelings beginning to spread across his body, Kazahaya turned around to face Rikuo and demand he leave at once. The only problem with his plan however was that the moment he was facing him, it provided Rikuo the perfect opportunity to press a kiss to Kazahaya's mouth; the same mouth that was already partially opened to begin his mini tirade, providing further tactical advantage for his enemy.

Soft lips touched his own and he could feel a small puff of Rikuo's breath enter his mouth as a gentle tongue slowly emerged to teasingly trace along his bottom lip without actually entering. Rikuo was enticing the fairer haired boy to willingly allow him entrance, and Kazahaya was certainly enticed. On their own accord, his hands came up to loosely hold onto Rikuo's strong biceps as his own tongue briefly flickered out to meet its visitor. Just as his mouth began to open wider and hands slid down to slightly grip his hips, the inevitable happened.

"Rikuo! Where are you?" Both boys had frozen at the first sound of Rikuo's name and before Kakei had even started to inquire as to where his employee was hiding in the store, Kazahaya had managed to rapidly gain the ability to blend in with a crate of strawberries - though that unnatural talent seemed like it wouldn't be highly marketable in their field of expertise. Rikuo on the other hand looked rather… strained. Through gritted teeth he managed to give a reply of "I'll be right there," reluctantly detaching himself from the still stricken empath. In fact, after starring at him for a few seconds to see if his state would change, he simply left to go find his boss when there was no indication of an immediate response, and instead muttered, "See you later cupcake."

When the brain finally began to restart its engines, his stupor finally dissipating and the reality of what had just transpired finally set in, Kazahaya wanted to give a howl of anguish. Granted he'd never really heard one but he was pretty sure he had a good idea of what it would sound like at this point: most likely a few obscenities mixed in with the cursing of Rikuo's name in addition to some wailing in embarrassment for good measure. Then demanding why the hell he was being called things like "muffin" and "cupcake" all of a sudden.

This couldn't keep going on. Already he had allowed Rikuo to kiss him four times during the day, not including the morning kiss when he had first arisen from bed. And during each occurrence, his iron-like will would crumble quicker than, well – quicker than something that would make iron crumble. Quite frankly he was impressed that he had managed to hold out a full minute this time. He couldn't allow himself to become so easily distracted - so easily lured - by a pair of dark green eyes, messy black hair, and lips that were too perfect for mere words. He was going to lose his job! Or was going to be teased mercilessly by Saiga! Surprisingly, both were equally horrific in his mind.

Wait – when the hell had Rikuo's lips become "too perfect for mere words?" What the hell was he reading these days that provided him with such utter garbage? He had to suppress the small gag reflex that seemed to magically appear out of nowhere with the realization of his sappy word choice.

He began griping under his breath as he turned back to his shelf of never ending snacks. And then he really did contemplate howling when he realized he was _still _hungry, the gnawing feeling temporarily forgotten before because of the previous state of emergency. Granted, Rikuo had provided the distraction (aka "snack") that he'd promised to help Kazahaya forget about his hunger but at this point he was too bitter to admit to it. He hit his head on the shelf in front of him and cursed that dinner was still an hour and a half away.

--

Twenty minutes. He only had to survive a mere twenty minutes more before he finally would be able to go upstairs and eat. And a forty-five minute break to pacify his body's cries of starvation before he was forced to wrap up the day of inventory. But thankfully, by all predictions, they would be done by no later than 9. Maybe even 8:30 if they moved quickly enough with the last bits of counting, organizing the paperwork, and cleaning of the store. Eager to do what he could now since his assigned counting jobs were completed, he grabbed the rag out of the pocket of his apron and began cleaning the shelves on his aisle. Humming softly to himself, the day finally beginning to look up (although technically it was now dark outside), he was relishing in the idea of being able to take a shower when he was finally finished for the day.

He wasn't exactly sure as to why or even how, but suddenly the daydream of his nice hot relaxing shower changed. There he was with the new soap he recently bought that smelled musky but subtle and clean, glad to be getting rid of the grime and dust he'd undoubtedly collected on his person during the day. And there was the joy of shampooing his hair with Rikuo's shampoo that he always stole because he liked the citrus smell better than his own strawberry kiwi shit he'd unknowingly purchased (Kazahaya was a boy who enjoyed taking pleasure in the simple things in life). And there he was, warm, sudsy, clean, relaxed, and most certainly – not alone.

Why was Rikuo in his dream shower with him? _Naked_?? And why were they kissing and touching, and – oh god! What was _that _ they were doing?? Why was he now breathing harder and feeling - antsy? What was his subconscious _doing _to him? And why, for the love of the gods, did he like whatever it was doing, his devilish imagination quickly running rampant and spawning multiple scenarios that involved more than just a shower.

Pausing in his mindless dusting and his inane self-interrogation, he glanced around the store worried that perhaps the three other men were staring at him since he most likely was sporting a nice flush and glazed look because of his little tryst into shower fantasyland. Thankfully Kakei was up at the front pouring over papers scattered on the counter, checking between the recorded numbers and filling out order forms for new supplies. And it seemed Saiga was still in the back reorganizing something with the other employee's help. At least that would have been the case if Rikuo hadn't walked out of the door marked "Employees Only" the moment after Kazahaya began looking that direction. Their gazes locked immediately, dark green eyes narrowing at the sight of the brunette, and long strides made his approach a quick affair. Kazahaya couldn't help but to examine his roommate's form as he drew nearer, his eyes climbing up the long torso and chest, noticing the curve of his neck, and lingering on his lips before finally meeting the dark gaze. "What's up?" he murmured when Rikuo stopped in front of him, managing to squash the temptation to give the strong neck another appreciative look.

"Saiga said I could go since we finished," he paused, intently examining Kazahaya and his subsequent expression. The shorter boy seemed… distracted. Ignoring the observation, Rikuo took another step forward, further invading any sense of personal space. "I'll go start dinner since we're short on time. What do you want?"

'You,' was the immediate answer or at least would have been if Kazahaya, thankfully, didn't have some semblance of control left over his tongue despite the traitorous efforts of his subconscious to prove otherwise. Instead he turned back to dragging his dust rag across the now rather clean shelf, subsequently making their positions perpendicular to each other. "Anything's fine. I don't really care," he replied casually – or at least what he hoped was casually. "Just do something quick and easy."

A slow and steady stream of tension began to mount between the two, resulting in both boys being hyperaware of the other's proximity, small movements, and the very pattern of their breathing. Rikuo had to bite his tongue at the urge to give a terribly easy retort implying something along the lines that his roommate was either quick, easy, or both – in a very carnal sense. Instead, he nodded his head once in silent confirmation and began to walk past him towards the front of the store. As he passed, his fingers came out to lightly touch Kazahaya's hip and trail along the small of his back. The empath was barely able to catch the "Hurry up," that the taller boy mumbled under his breath. He felt a small electric pulse go through his body that stirred twinges of excitement.

Heading up to their shared apartment, Rikuo pulled up on the garage-door-style metal security sheeting covering the entrance to the store and then shut it behind him. Throughout the entire process, Kazahaya's eyes never left the dark haired youth. After the door had been closed for several seconds, with no signs of magically reopening on its own and revealing a waiting Rikuo, Kazahaya's eyes swept over the rest of the store – only to find his employer staring at him pointedly. A small surprised sound escaped through his lips and his former "twinges" stilled. He bit the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit, when Kakei motioned for him to come to the counter. Cursing his bad luck, Kazahaya left his rag on the shelf and walked to the front of the store with his feet shuffling the entire way.

"Yes?" he asked dutifully, hoping Kakei would just be giving him one more last minute job. "Anything you'd like to tell me?" his boss said with a faint smirk. Now Kazahaya _wanted_ a job. "No," he ruefully replied, a glare beginning to form from barely veiled suspicion. The older man merely chuckled and gave a shake of his head. "That's alright; it's not as if it isn't obvious anyway. How long has this been going on exactly anyway?"

Weighing the matter carefully in his head, Kazahaya reached two conclusions: A) he tell Kakei the truth and just get the humiliation over with or B) he lie, deny, and bribe if need be to keep the man from asking him anything further. He could go a few jobs without pay; it wasn't as if he were completely flat broke, starving, and desperate for money or anything, willing to take odd jobs (and we mean _odd_) no matter what they may involve, short of outright prostitution.

Oh… right.

The truth of the matter was that, to some degree, he trusted his employer despite his history of devious and questionable actions. Plus he knew that he was going to find out eventually, if he wasn't already fully well aware of the situation. The man was a psychic; he had a knack for these sort of things and was paid to solve supernatural mysteries – or send his minions to do the hard work of solving them. Really, the younger man had no choice and was forced to just bite the bullet.

"A few weeks," he muttered through gritted teeth, managing to remarkably keep from blushing. Kakei looked expectant though and Kazahaya was forced to clarify further. "Since the last stocking of… since the third Tuesday shipment of last month." Instead of the small chuckle at Kazahaya's uncomfortably or even a squeal of excitement for his charges' budding romance, as Kazahaya was expecting, Kakei grimaced instead, his face drawn tight in obvious displeasure. "Damn," Kakei mumbled, seeming to momentarily forget all about the teenager standing in front of him as his brow furrowed in distress. Confused (for good reason) Kazahaya forced him to refocus his attention. "Wait! Why? What's wrong?" Maybe Rikuo was actually an evil assassin that Kakei was kind enough to harbor but it was all a big secret that Kazahaya wasn't meant to know and it was actually terribly dangerous for him to get involved and he could be killed if –

"I owe Saiga 5,000 ¥ now…" Kakei said darkly, readjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose with a deep sigh. And he'd been so confident too; he thought it'd only happened last week when Kazahaya had thrown a passive aggressive fit when some girl had been interested in Rikuo. Damn. In actuality, he'd owe Saiga more than just money, but his employee certainly didn't need to know that. Especially considering the fact that the younger boy's eyebrow already seemed to be twitching in annoyance and his lips were pursed in an attempt to contain any ill suited words directed towards his boss for betting on him. No matter; Kakei could deal with the ramifications of his poor gambling choices later. He decided the best course of action would be to further his inquiry. "Well, how are things going?"

"Fine." That was it. That was all Kakei was getting and Kazahaya would be damned if the man actually thought he'd be getting any details on the matter. If he really wanted to know, he could probably read his mind to figure it out. "Well that's good to hear," the psychic smiled up at him, seemingly unfazed by Kazahaya's tight lipped behavior. He gave a curt nod, hoping to end the conversation, and began to turn back towards his poor forgotten rag. "Is the sex good?"

In mid step, Kazahaya managed to do a flawless pivot and redirect himself back towards the counter so he was able to properly glare at the older man sitting calmly behind the counter with a smile. He was bristling and Kakei wasn't sure if he was red from embarrassment or indignation – most likely a combination of both. "What do you mean 'is the sex good!?' How the hell is that any of your business!?" So it seemed it was more anger than embarrassment since he wasn't spluttering with his answer. "I was just curious Kudou-kun. You don't need to answer if you don't feel comfortable doing so," Kakei said trying to placate the young man.

"It's not that I don't feel comfortable doing so. As I said, it's really none of your business." He paused for a second and then as more of an afterthought to himself, he muttered, "we just… haven't done it yet." At first, Kakei nodded his head in understanding. That was until a proverbial light bulb went off in his head and he enthusiastically smiled exclaiming, "Really?? That means Saiga owes me 10,000 ¥!!"

"Okay! That's it! It's six - I'm taking my break _now_," he shouted, heading towards the door while simultaneously taking off his apron. "You guys are sick, you know that? I can't believe you _bet_ on us. On sex nonetheless," he continued ranting as he threw up the metal security door to head out. He was looking forward to slamming it behind him to give Kakei a real piece of his mind but was stopped by a stern, "Kazahaya." Begrudgingly he turned back to look, hoping he wasn't getting a pay dock for being so forward with his boss.

"Despite what you may think, both Saiga and I actually care about your welfare. And Rikuo's," he added, all vestiges of teasing replaced by a quiet and serious tone as he looked Kazahaya directly in the eyes. "If you need to talk to either of us, than do so." Stillness stretched between them, Kazahaya carefully weighing the other man's words and believing every word he said. When he gave no indication though that he was going to respond, Kakei sighed. "You're dismissed. See you in 45." And with that he turned back to his order forms. Kazahaya wasn't sure if Kakei saw the small nod and smile that he gave him before closing the door behind him but he figured Kakei must know to some degree that he was grateful; the man was psychic after all.

He flew up the metal stairs attached to the building, rushing to get to his apartment, dinner, and most importantly, Rikuo.

--

The door slammed shut behind him and he swiftly surveyed the open area of the combined living room and kitchen with no Rikuo in sight. Technically speaking, while the apartment could be considered spacious, in actuality the "apartment" was only a large space that had no walls. The only device used to separate the large open area into actual living quarters were curtains; one that split the original space in half, to separate the bedrooms from the kitchen and living room, and another that separated the allotted bedroom space in half perpendicularly, creating the division between his "room" and Rikuo's. They had a full functioning western style bathroom though, the toilet and shower in the same room, set into the wall on the "living room" side of the larger space. Thank the gods that the bathroom had walls at least; despite Kakei's kind offer, Kazahaya probably would have chosen to freeze to death than stay somewhere where the toilet was behind a mere curtain. Although the apartment was rather sparse in furnishings – with only the limited kitchen fixtures, their beds and dressers – it was still home. Recently Kazahaya and Rikuo had scrapped together enough money to actually buy a small kitchen table and two chairs, though Rikuo still occasionally opted to sit on the floor to drink his morning coffee and read the newspaper. Kazahaya was aiming to try and buy a couch next, just to have something to sit on other than the options of his bed, the floor, or the new chairs. Rikuo wasn't so keen to the idea though when he had made his proposal though, complaining that it would be an unnecessary purchase.

After throwing his apron on a hook by the door, he began marching across the apartment towards Rikuo's "bedroom". Just as he approached the curtain and raised his hand to part the stiff white linen, the material flew back on its own startling Kazahaya to the point where he involuntarily emitted a small surprised yelp. Rikuo's hands came up to rest on Kazahya's waist to settle him down while he merely looked at him with his patented calm and cool disinterested gaze as he inspected the wide-eyed Kazahaya. "That took longer than expected," Rikuo said, smirking down at him. "Yea, well Kakei wanted to have a little heart to heart," Kazahaya spat back, still slightly miffed at the encounter. A slight raise of an eyebrow was the only indication that Rikuo was surprised. "Oh? About what?"

"Never mind," he replied, with a shake of his head. He didn't particularly feel like divulging the details of the mini-interrogation. "Is dinner ready?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yea, the hot water's in the pot and your instant ramen bowl is in the cupboard ready and waiting."

"What??" he balked, taking a step back and out of Rikuo's grasp. "You said you were making dinner you jerk. I figured that would involve more than hot water and styrofoam," he glared and pointed an accusatory finger at the taller boy's chest, making sure to give it a nice jab when he called him a "jerk" to emphasize the point. He was starving - had been starving for the better part of two hours now - and Rikuo thought instant ramen would be the solution? That just wasn't acceptable. "Damnit, never mind. I don't have time for this. I'll just go make something myself," he said with a huff, turning away.

"Relax." A hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back in front of Rikuo. The glaring was not abated. "I was just kidding you idiot. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen. I just needed to hop in the shower and I had just finished changing when you came in. I was just going to check on it before you decided to barge in on me." Although the glare subsided, it did not disappear completely considering the dark haired young man still looked rather smug and haughty as he smirked down at his roommate. However, Kazahaya did notice for the first time that Rikuo's hair was indeed wet and sticking out at a few odd angles in some places.

"I hate you Himura," Kazahaya said lowly. "No you don't," he replied easily, leaning down to firmly press his lips against Kazahaya's to silence any further disparaging remarks. At first the irritated psychic didn't kiss back, determined to teach the haughty young man a lesson. But persistent as always, Rikuo pressed slightly harder with his tongue sneaking out to trace along his bottom lip again and Kazahaya slowly conceded allowing his eyes to slide shut and his mouth to slightly part, pressing back and into Rikuo. The hand holding his wrist gave a small but insistent tug indicating they should be closer. Stubborn as usual though he refused and even broke off the kiss to mumble against Rikuo's lips. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Curry rice," he murmured back, wanting to resume the kiss. Why the hell did he need to know what was for dinner now?

"Oh. So those would be the vegetables I hear boiling over?" A moment's pause then "…shit," and Rikuo resentfully pulled away, dropping Kazahaya's hand to go check on the food that was potentially becoming mush. Rikuo glowered at the shorter man as he passed him and cursed the superior look he sported. God he wanted to kiss that damn smirk away. "Just go take a shower. Dinner will be done by the time you're out," he bitterly said over his shoulder as he walked across the apartment to the small stovetop. Kazahaya gave a large grin when Rikuo was fully preoccupied with preparing dinner. 'Score one for Kazhaya,' he thought, gloating to himself.

He headed towards the bathroom. Sure they still had work left but most of it was easy from here on out and he felt disgusting already. Plus if he had to take one later, no one ever said two showers in a day was a horrible thing. And if he didn't do something to distract himself, he'd either think about his current state of starvation or his sudden appetite for Rikuo. Neither sounded too appealing to dwell on at the moment, so into the shower we went still grinning; he had new soap to use and citrus shampoo to steal.

--

Dinner had been an intriguing affair. They sat across from each other, gave thanks for their meal, and then were quiet for the entirety of it aside from the initial complaints about the long work day at the drugstore. But after those two minutes of demonstrating their awe-inspiring conversational skills, silence kept them company for the rest of the meal. It wasn't necessarily an uncomfortable silence though. Rikuo mutely kept his dark eyes trained on Kazahaya, seemingly examining every aspect of the other's face and the smaller man was proud of himself when he didn't blush or avert his eyes from the powerful gaze in embarrassment. In fact he managed to match it, peering at Rikuo just as intently, resulting in an odd staring contest between the two aside from when they concentrated on their meal. It had been somewhere around the point when Kazahaya had looked up from his own meal to see Rikuo licking his lips - supposedly cleaning them from the bite of curry he'd just eaten - that he made a realization. That act had been purely for show with the intent of drawing Kazahaya's eyes to Rikuo's lips, which he had successfully accomplished. Rikuo was playing with him!

After his brilliant epiphany, a round of "accidental" touches ensued between the two: Kazahaya's foot rubbing against the other's under the table, the passing of a glass for a refill with fingers grazing, Rikuo indicating Kazahaya had a drop of curry on his chin and instead of letting the capable young man take care of it himself, Rikuo rose slightly from his chair to reach across the table and wipe it away with his thumb. The completely rational response to this action was Kazahaya starring at him absolutely dumbstruck, his mouth slightly agape in surprise. But throughout the whole ordeal of dinner they said nothing and the customary thanks for the meal when they were done seemed out of place in the still atmosphere that had formed.

He could feel jade eyes roving over him, could feel the heat radiating off of the body sitting across the table, and could feel it all beginning to slowly melt him. And he could feel his every muscle twitching in anticipation, taunt and ready to be released from the tension and mutual intrigue. And so that is what caused him to get up from his seat; to seize control of the situation and take the initiative –

In clearing the table.

As tempting as it was to take advantage of the obvious situation that had been presented – and he was certainly tempted – they unfortunately had work in less than fifteen minutes. Meaning they had to have aprons on, look presentable and be standing in the store waiting for instructions in less than fifteen minutes - emphasis on the looking presentable aspect. Now was not the time to go frolic in make out land. So, being the rational young man that he was, Kazahaya removed himself from the quickly escalating situation, opting to clean up after the dinner Rikuo had made. Really, he was doing what was best for both of them if they wanted to keep their jobs. But sadly, his obvious infinite wisdom was lost on his roommate.

As he picked up the dishes, Rikuo's look was a mixture of annoyance and surprise. "What're you doing?" If he didn't know Rikuo as well as he did, it would have almost sounded as if he were pouting. But that thought was quickly disregarded for its sheer ludicrousness and he threw the dishes into the sick, turning on the water with a small huff. "I'm cleaning up. What does it look like?"

"I see that thank you very much," he dryly muttered with a frown. "I'm wondering why."

He could have provided the obvious and sarcastic answer of "you cooked therefore I clean." He even could have provided the truth (a quite uncharacteristic move) by stating "despite the current desire to be kissed senseless right now, we have work." Instead, the brunette just choose to ignore the other young man altogether and began quickly scrubbing dishes. As to be expected, Rikuo did not take that approach kindly and glowered at the smaller psychic when he recognized the evasive new tactic. The narrowing of forest green eyes did not bode well for the fate of his comrade.

Kazahaya heard the chair grating against the tile flooring as it moved back from the table, he heard the four heavy footsteps it took to make it from the table to the sink, and he heard the rustle of fabric as Rikuo's arms came up to encircle his waist and draw him backwards towards his chest and away from the sink while simultaneously beginning to press small kisses to Kazahaya's neck. He also felt his elbow connect just below Rikuo's ribs as he shoved it backwards with barely restrained force, "God Damnit Rikuo! Get off!" When his partner refused to budge, the jab seeming to have no effect, he repeated the action harder hoping to actually make the monolith behind him feel some pain. "I said get off daminit!" he fumed, quickly becoming irritated as the water was running and dishes weren't being cleaned. "Can't you control your incessant need to molest me for a minute?"

"No." With that simple declaration, he was quickly turned around till the edge of the counter bit sharply into his lower back. Opening his mouth to let out a barrage of verbal insults, he was cut short by Rikuo hastily kissing him. It was a kiss that was combination of trying to gently coax Kazahaya into reciprocation and a kiss of barely contained need. If it had just been the usual affair of a few weeks ago, Kazahaya would have quickly shoved him away and would have abruptly left the scene from mild embarrassment and Rikuo would have merely chuckled, since in all likelihood, he would have just been teasing his easily irritable roommate to get a rise out of him.

However this wasn't a few weeks ago; things had changed since then and that ":need" he felt coming from his cohort, no matter how small, only amplified his own. So instead of pushing his assailant away, he brought his hands up to tangle in short dark locks of hair, opening his mouth further to allow his tongue to skirmish with Rikuo's while his eyes slid shut. The hands around his waist reflexively tightened when he pulled Rikuo's head down closer to his own to deepen the kiss.

Mild hints of curry seasoned the kiss along with the deeper taste that Kazahaya had come to know as being uniquely Rikuo's, as the persistent tongue managed to enter his mouth. The smaller young man felt a small burning sensation make its way from the tip of his tongue and course throughout the entire length of his body; he had a feeling it wasn't from the curry spices. Despite the pleasurable experience he was partaking in, the edge of the counter was still sticking painfully into his back with how tightly Rikuo pressed him against it. Without thinking, he squirmed to try and alleviate some of the pressure, simultaneously pushing out towards the taller young man. His "innocent" action caused Rikuo to emit a low moan against his mouth. The attempted readjustment seemed completely counterproductive when instead of creating distance between the counter and his back, he was crushed against it in renewed fervor. Rikuo took full advantage of Kazahaya's gasp of surprise by pushing his tongue into his mouth and methodically squeezing his waist, causing his companion to completely disregard the pain. Fingers, which had previously been preoccupied with combing through Rikuo's obsidian hair, moved their way down above his shoulder blades to grip the cloth of his black shirt.

He felt his lungs beginning to burn, the lack of fresh air taking its toll. He couldn't seem to breathe properly through his nose and his mouth was obviously preoccupied with other – better – things. The immediate feeling of needing to be fulfilled in some fashion had kept both young men frantically warring with each other's mouths but Rikuo was the first to slowly pull away, the pain filling his lungs beginning to be too much to handle. Kazahaya was actually thankful to some extent due to him feeling lightheaded and slightly drowsy from their prolonged activity and the apparent inability for him to form a coherent thought. He dimly realized that he could hear the water still running full blast behind him but couldn't bring himself to be concerned enough to turn around and shut it off. So the water bill was a few yen more expensive? Who really cared?

He lazily opened his eyes, peering up at Rikuo who was breathing just as harshly as himself. He threw a small smile to the taller boy and Rikuo only gave an indication of a smirk as warning before he pressed against Kazahaya again; the difference this time was that he moved his left leg in between Kazahaya's while doing so, his knee bumping into the cupboard door behind. He received his desired response when Kazahaya's eyes fluttered closed again and the smile disappeared to give way to a small breathe exhaled quickly in surprise. Rikuo managed, in that single move, to bring Kazahaya's full undivided attention to the proof of his growing arousal that he had been miraculously unaware of. Not to be outdone however, the shorter young man used his hold on the other psychic's shirt to pull him further against him while pressing upwards at the same time. His own leg, consequently between Rikuo's, pressed firmly against the partially hard length. Rikuo gave a small hiss and involuntarily jerked against his comrade. Enjoying the response, Kazahaya repeated the action and was pleased when Rikuo reciprocated, not minding the counter edge as his thoughts were concerned with more important things. Before either of them could really be sure what was happening, a back and forth motion formed of pushing against one another attempting to achieve enough friction between their bodies to be felt through the thick material of Kazahaya's cargo pants and the denim of Rikuo's baggy jeans.

Nothing to this degree had happened before between the two; their small makeout sessions before seemed like splashing in a puddle in comparison to this new pool to dive into that had suddenly become available. Kazahaya tipped his head up slightly, brushing his lips lightly against Rikuo's, their breath mixing in the small gap between their mouths from their panting. The brief contact of their lips while the rest of their bodies couldn't seem to get close enough caused a new electric current to pulse through his body. Rikuo leaned further forward, his lips making a small trail from the corner of Kazahaya's mouth to his ear, nipping at the lobe there accompanied by a particularly hard grind forcing Kazahaya's coherency to momentarily stumble. Instead of moving back and continuing their building momentum, Rikuo stilled his movements and kept Kazahaya pinned, his strangled breathing sounding thunderous so close to Kazahaya's ear. "Kazahaya…"

The empath took a particularly large gulp of air trying to calm his frazzled senses and regain control of his tongue for verbal communication purposes. "What?" He shifted his weight from his right to his left foot and Rikuo had to bite back the urge to groan and push against him again. Instead he gave a small – albeit reluctant – sigh. "We have to stop," and when Kazahaya didn't respond from apparent confusion as to _why_ the hell they'd be stopping, "we have work." It took all of three seconds for the drug-like intoxicating haze that had been in amber eyes for the better part of fifteen minutes to lift completely. By the time Rikuo had pulled away to look down at him, his eyes had shifted from the deep dark gold color of arousal to a bright gold alight with fire and… what looked to be infuriation. "Damnit! Rikuo! You…you…couldn't you just – Argh!" He growled in frustration, unable to fully express his displeasure with his roommate in any succinct fashion. Rikuo shrugged, ignoring the heated glare, and reached past the shorter man to finally turn off the water. "What? Would you rather that I not have told you and we be late? Or not show at all?"

"No! I wish you hadn't started this mess in the first place!" Rikuo had to admit that his roommate kind of had him there. Kazahaya had obviously attempted to take preventative measures to keep…well, to keep whatever had just happened from happening, but he certainly wasn't going to confess to the accused crime. "You seemed like you were enjoying it to me."

"That's not the point you jerk!" Kazahaya yelled and then crossly pushed past him to head towards the door. A glance at the clock on the wall informed him he only had about thirty seconds until he was considered officially a minute late. He assumed that his co-worker was following in his angry footsteps but frankly didn't care if he was. He gave thanks though to whatever higher beings there were for long green aprons to conceal uncomfortable and awkward looking bulges from his landlords. When he got to the door, he yanked his apron off the hook and hastily threw it on while fumbling with tying the two strings behind his back. "Honestly," he mumbled when Rikuo calmly reached out for his own, "two hours. You only had to wait two fucking hours Rikuo. But _nooo_. You had to go and kiss me while I was trying to clean up. And I had been kidding about the molesting thing too you know." His knot completed, he frowned when Rikuo only shrugged in response as he finished tying his apron. Fed up, he turned away reaching out and flinging the door open fully prepared to stalk out the apartment.

"_I_ could have waited." He froze, curious to see how Rikuo would finish that statement. "But you looked like you couldn't. So I thought I'd do _you_ a favor."

"What?" he asked truly dumbfounded. Rikuo stepped around him to stand in the doorframe and turned his head to look back and smirk. "You think I didn't notice you staring at me in the store and over dinner? Admit it Kazahaya - you were practically ready to jump me the moment you came through the door. I was only giving you what _you_ wanted."

He would have screeched in fury or even repeated his query again just to make sure Rikuo had really just spouted such garbage if the other young man hadn't already disappeared around the corner, heading down the stairs with a small self-satisfied chuckle. Kazahaya replayed Rikuo's words in his head one more time, flabbergasted more than anything else really. Instead of the typical response one might expect from the lighter haired young man - such as the previously mentioned screeching or even blushing from embarrassment – a strange phenomenon occurred. Kazahaya gave a smile; a small wicked smile that reached up into his eyes with apparent glee. His hand slid down into the front pocket of his apron, fingering his small secret weapon he had procured earlier. He'd have to act quickly though to make sure he attacked before Rikuo entered the store. Knowing that bastard, he was probably sauntering down the stairs still radiating in the afterglow of his own ego. He hastily tore open the package leaving the wrapper on the floor as the door slammed shut behind him already alight down the first few steps down the stairs.

This was war; he was determined to strike the first blow and hopefully – win.

--

Rikuo had just bent down to open the metal sliding door to enter the drugstore when he heard heavy footsteps on the metal staircase, apparently racing down. He pulled the door part of the way up as he stood to his full height to look back the way he'd just came, curious as to what highly amusing comeback Kazahaya had crafted this time. Just as expected, his roommate shot out from around the corner giving a wide grin when he found Rikuo still outside the store. Before there was time for the other psychic to react, Kazahaya stepped forward and grabbed the back of Rikuo's neck to force the taller boy down into a kiss, one he certainly was not prepared for. For the first time that day in all of their mini-encounters, Kazahaya had accomplished the impossible task of invading Rikuo's slack mouth due to _his_ surprise. And when Kazahaya was sure his tongue had swept every warm moist corner, he pulled away as quickly as he had moved forward. Rikuo continued to stand stalk still, staring straight in front of him at the space Kazahaya had just previously occupied even as the roguish boy bent down to enter under the door Rikuo still held partially propped open in his stupor. Before he disappeared into the store he threw a smirk over his shoulder back at his co-worker. "Let's see who will be wanting whom now, ne Rikuo?"

Dark green eyes turned just in time to catch a glimpse of the lower half of Kazahaya's body flee into the drugstore.

His mind quickly ran over the sensory information it had just received in the past thirty seconds. The tip of his tongue was still sweet from the taste of Kazahaya – and chocolate. And he wanted more of both. _Now_.

Rikuo gave a mental groan, realizing exactly what the idiot had managed to accomplish. He too was thankful for the concealing power of the all powerful green apron as he ducked under the door to enter the store. A mental countdown started in his head till he would finally be finished and free from the second Sunday of the month.

Too bad for him he still had at least an hour to go.

--

A.N.: I would like to thank all of you that have taken time to not only read this story thus far but review it as well. You have no idea how those few reviews made me very pleased and encouraged me to get my butt in gear and finish editing this chapter and get it posted. I look forward to further commentary and having the next chapter come up hopefully soon.


	3. Part III

Disclaimer: I by no means own any of the rights to the Clamp manga story of Legal Drug or its characters.

Second Sunday

By Crystal Delphina

Completed: October 21, 2008

Part III of IV

Saiga typically prided himself on two things: one, being able to fall asleep nearly anywhere (the one time in an elevator had been a classic) and two, the ability to read people fairly accurately. That was partially the reason why he enjoyed picking on Kudou so much; he always knew when it was the absolute worse time to needle the younger man – making the effect that much more enjoyable. He had the ability to distinguish when the two teenagers in the store were truly cross with each other or when they were just bickering as usual. But their behavior that day was a whole new realm of odd that he had yet to substantially observe and classify.

If he had been forced to provide an immediate analysis, he would have hesitantly ventured that they were fighting. From all indications they were following the classic patterns for a Himura-Kudou stand off: glares, a well executed silent treatment, and flicking each other off when Kakei's back was turned. However, there were other things too that threw the classic diagnosis out the window; Kudou wasn't the one glaring or even cursing Himura under his breath. In fact, in an unforeseen reversal, the darker haired boy was the one performing these typical behaviors. Further confusing Saiga, if it wouldn't be so downright _abnormal_ and outright implausible, he'd even go as far as to say that Kudou was…well…_flirting_ with Himura. Every time that Himura would look up from his task and look around the store, it almost looked as if Kudou were _batting_ his eyelashes at him. Was that even possible? No, he had to have been imagining it. But after the 'imagined' incident, Himura would quickly resume his work, his face struggling to mimic an expression somewhere between murderous and distraught. Meanwhile, not a single hair looked out of place on Kudou as he continued along in his work - whistling mind you. He was the picture of saintly perfection: he wouldn't dare hold ill will towards his co-worker much less tease him in some fashion.

Saiga was utterly confused with the whole affair. It was simply impossible for his head to wrap around the idea that either boy would be acting in the fashion that they were unless there was some good reason. He was sure he was missing the crucial detail that would make everything fall into place, but no matter how much he wracked his head he just couldn't put his finger on or put a name to it. He thoughtfully took a drag of his lit cigarette as he put his feet up on the counter, leaning back in his chair. Kakei was in his office sorting through papers and had left him to look over the brats as they finished rearranging and cleaning up the store. However his 'looking over' of them had resulted in the observations of unusual conduct, which now lead to his deep pondering. "Gah," he grumbled quietly. The pain in his head just wasn't worth it. He decided that his time was much better spent sleeping - especially in light of all the strenuous work he had been forced to perform that day - and closed his eyes. The dark glasses made it impossible to tell if he were awake or asleep anyway.

Kakei would be out to let them go for the day soon and until then he was getting some shut eye. The brats could watch themselves and play their stupid mind games with each other without his supervision.

--

If only Saiga knew half of what was actually going on. No, he wasn't imagining things; he had indeed seen Kazahaya bat his eyelashes at Rikuo. But that was only in the midst of licking his lips and letting his mouth part in a fashion that was quite suggestive while his golden irises darkened a shade in a lustful fashion. Or maybe that was just Rikuo projecting. Really, the whole affair was maddening and he was very close to either beating his head against one of the metal shelves on his aisle or dragging Kazahaya upstairs, with little thought or concern as to whether he would be fired or not. But damnit, Rikuo prided himself on quite a few personal characteristics, and he wanted to keep self-restraint as one of them.

Stupid self-restraint.

He was not going to let some stupid twerp get the better of him, even if said stupid twerp had somehow managed to transform into a seductive drugstore-male-siren in the span of 15 minutes. Who would have ever known the 'saint' had it in him? What had he done to deserve such torture? Really, he had only teased Kazahaya a bit. Of course he had been just as torn about having to leave to go back to work as the empath, but he also knew that both of them weren't interested in getting their pay docked for the day after all the hard work they'd been forced to endure. A large part of him had insisted he ravish his roommate against the kitchen counter all night, especially at the prospect of things continuing on the course they seemed to have been taking. But thankfully rationality had kicked in saving them their jobs.

Fucking rationality.

He was cursing himself now for having caught a momentary glimpse of the clock above the kitchen sink during their grinding. If only he hadn't been so observant.

Fucking observational skills.

But he still didn't see why he was forced to suffer the wrath of Kazahaya, although this was quite an interesting form of retaliation he had chosen to pursue. In fact, while he preferred the implications of his gestures and demeanor, he'd almost prefer to have the brunette irate and attempting to ignore him. Then perhaps he wouldn't be so… flustered by the other boy's actions. It was just such a rare side to see of the shorter male and Rikuo remained unsure of exactly how to respond to the forthcoming nature that had been revealed.

Not that Kazahaya hadn't taken some initiatives in the progression of their physical relationship in the past few weeks, but the initiatives were minor in comparison to the act he was pulling off now. Before, he would tentatively reach out to touch Rikuo's hand or arm covertly while at work, or quickly kiss him in their apartment before briskly walking in the other direction. Rikuo had been downright astonished and consequently impressed when Kazahaya had actually started sneaking into his bed at night, despite the time when he had given up after the first initial attempt. Rikuo was kind enough to let him believe he had remained asleep though throughout the ruckus of him quickly getting up, the rustle of the curtain, his heavy footsteps on the floor, and the squeak of his bed when he jumped back onto it. But the easily embarrassed and timid blonde was the same young man who had forcibly rubbed against him in their shared kitchen, had pulled at his hair frantically to deepen their kiss, and had kissed him _outside_ in one full swoop, his tongue invading long enough so Rikuo could taste the chocolate while fingers had grazed the nape of his neck, and had literally left Rikuo breathless from surprise.

He knew he shouldn't look. He _knew_ it would only be asking for further trouble, but despite all reason, Rikuo's eyes rose ever so slightly from his chore of sweeping his half of the store to scan for any movement. The front of the store was still, considering Saiga was predictably asleep with an unlit cigarette dangling out of his mouth. For a brief moment, the dark haired boy pondered as to what his employer really saw in the other man considering he was seemingly asleep for half of their waking relationship…well – half of Kakei's waking hours. His gaze continued its panoramic sweep of the store moving to his left, pausing at each aisle and moving on when there was no sighting of golden-brown hair. His surveillance was slow and narrowed to ensure he scanned every surface – and perhaps vainly trying avoid the inevitable torture he was putting himself through – that he was completely unaware of the other boy's location until his eyes fell directly onto him. And there he was, on the opposite side of the store from Rikuo still in his technical 'half', but onto next section of the aisle. He had his broom - but he wasn't sweeping. Not that Rikuo's expression would have been a clear indicator of Kazahaya's actions, but the taller boy's jaw dropping from shock would have provided rather good evidence for speculation on the matter.

Rikuo's brain had to try and kickstart at least four times before it finally turned over and he was able to form a cohesive thought. His co-worker was…_stroking_ the handle of his broomstick in a _very_ suggestive manner while he intently looked at his victim. And all Rikuo could do was watch in horrified fascination as slow strokes on the wooden handle began to slightly increase in pace. Rikuo would have been willing to give up his supernatural powers to become an inanimate cleaning object at that moment.

That was it.

He was done.

Dark jade eyes locked with the golden gaze and Rikuo found himself unable to resist temptation any longer, a million thoughts racing through his head as to how to accomplish his task as soon as possible. He quickly propped his own broom up against the shelf beside him, and began walking the short distance to his tormentor. He raced through the options in his head: pushing him up against a shelf and starting where they had left off in the kitchen, dragging him down to the cold laminate floor in the midst of kissing and ignoring the dirt pile beside their heads, grabbing him by the apron and simply marching out of the store with the shorter man in tow choosing to ignore any protests from either him or the men that paid them. Really, anything at this point sounded fine and he wasn't in the position to be picky.

He noticed that when Kazahaya realized he was rapidly approaching him his golden eyes widened minutely. However, aside from that minor reaction he gave no indication of running either away or towards him. Rikuo was just lifting his fingers to grab the hand on the broomstick, intending to pull Kazahaya towards him to kiss him and stop that thoroughly maddening motion, when a horrible chain of events were set in motion spanning the total of 45 seconds, but ruining any chance for his plans. Just as his fingers were about to close over the pale wrist, a horrible crashing noise came from behind him.

His poor forgotten and abandoned broom and been precariously placed against the shelf due to his haste, and thus managed to maintain only momentary balance before swinging down towards the floor, deciding to knock into the shelf across from it and take down some carefully arranged bottles of nail polish. The resulting sound of some dozen or so small glass bottles along with the crack of the broom hitting the tiling caused the resting Saiga to awaken with a start and glance around the store, thinking perhaps his lover had decided to storm in. Although that hadn't been the immediate case, Kakei had in fact already been on his way to the store front and happened to step through the door just seconds after Saiga had stirred from his nap. Everyone froze in their spots looking towards the aisle that the racket originated from. This of course included Rikuo who was still about to grab for Kazahaya, but he had twisted his head to allow him to view his own mini disaster.

There was another small clink as the last nail polish hit the ground, rather loud in the otherwise silent store.

With a small sigh of gratitude, he was relieved to see that none of the nail polish bottles had broken though they were all scattered across the aisle. He would have to pick those up obviously, but that was a piece of cake compared to if any had broken. He swung his head back around to look at his prey with the intent to continue on his planned course of action when he realized there were three sets of eyes staring at him in confusion. Only one word managed to fight its way to the top of his conscious thoughts –

Fuck.

"Himura-kun, may I inquire as to what just happened?" He had opened his mouth to try and answer, though he wasn't quite sure what he was going to say, when Kakei continued with his inquisition without much pause. "And need I remind you that you just spent fifteen minutes earlier today arranging all of those bottles properly." Rikuo's mouth snapped shut, figuring an excuse right now would be a waste of air. Instead, he reluctantly turned back towards the mess, after providing Kazahaya with a seething glare, and began picking up the bottles of various hues of red. If there were gods, Rikuo only asked for two things at that moment: to find a way to punish Kazahaya as way of repayment for his last hour of torture and to finish the day as quickly as possible so as to possibly accomplish the aforementioned desire.

Damn idiots and their ability to frazzle nerves he didn't even know could be frazzled.

--

Kazahaya breathed a sigh of relief when Rikuo stepped away, even if he did direct a quite nasty glare at him first before his departure. To be quite honest with himself, he wasn't quite sure what he would have done if the broom hadn't fallen, Saiga hadn't risen from the dead, and Kakei hadn't decided to come out and check to see if his employees were actually doing their jobs. He admitted that perhaps with that last little stunt, he had gone partially over the edge of teasing the taller young man. He had been down right shameless. Up until then, the other small actions he had taken in the last hour could be written off as minor infractions with no true implications of anything more. But what he had done with the broomstick…

Truthfully, he had been looking to incite a strong reaction from Rikuo. He wanted to tempt the other boy and push him over an edge that would leave him with no choice but to throw down his towel in defeat. He had challenged Rikuo and it was a challenge he intended to win, even if his co-worker would never confess to such an unlikely defeat. But if managed to cause Rikuo to cave, to make him want Kazahaya so badly he was willing to attack him in the middle of the store, Kazahaya would take that as victory. And he had been so close, the victory literally within reach of his fingertips, if not for that damn broom of Rikuo's.

The thought of Rikuo's dark green eyes alight with determination as he approached him, of blatant desire, sent a chill racing through Kazahaya. Although normally he'd object to any type of public displays of affection anywhere outside the safe and confining walls of their apartment, the way Rikuo looked just then could have quickly convinced him to ignore any previous issues with locale; they could have been in the middle of Shibuya's main crosswalk for all he cared at that moment. If only…

"Kudou-kun, do you intend to stand there for the rest of the night?"

Kazahaya spun around to face his boss who was standing directly behind him and raised a hand to rub the back of his head in a sheepish gesture while he apologized, "Sorry Kakei. Just got distracted." He realized the error of his word choice when Kakei's eyes seemed to narrow into an impish expression of mirth. "I'm sure you did get _distracted_ Kudou-kun." If he had really believed he would die from embarrassment, he might have tried to impale himself on his broom out of desperation but decided against the drastic measure. "Regardless," Kakei continued, unaware of his young charge's suicidal contemplations, "you have work to finish up yourself. Have you finished wiping your half of the shelves?"

Kazahaya gave a nod of his head.

"And finished sweeping your side?"

Another nod.

"And it looks like all of your displays are completed…"

Nod.

"And you turned in all of your paperwork regarding today's inventory correct? All of your counting of products was completed and recorded properly?"

A final nod.

"Then I guess you're done. Thanks for the good day of hard work." And with that, Kakei walked away towards the front to check in with Saiga.

The surprise of that decree immobilized Kazahaya. He never thought a single sentence could bring such a rush of euphoria. He'd been waiting all day long to hear those words – it felt as if he'd been waiting a few years actually – and here he was: free. He was finally free. He was half tempted to hug Kakei in his glee but refrained from the gesture that would undoubtedly cause Kakei to question his sanity. One of his hands began to fumble for the tie of his apron at his back. He turned his head slightly to see Rikuo still arranging the bottles, a frown marring his features most likely due to over hearing Kakei's decision. The sight of his roommate gave pause to his hurried movements.

There is a moment that every young man faces in life: It is that crucial instant where you can either gloat in victory in your rival's face, rubbing in the fact that you succeeded where they failed, and using their body as a human red carpet as you ascend to the gold-medal-winning tier. _Or,_ you graciously take your prize but make sure your rival has equal opportunity to achieve the same essential end. Kazahaya was torn between dancing out of the front door of the store while making sure to stick his tongue out at his nemesis or…actually staying to help Rikuo finish.

Kazahaya was a better man than most.

He dropped his hand, leaving the apron tied, and walked the length of the aisle towards his co-worker who was crouched down in front of the display arranging nail polish bottles according to color. The grumble Rikuo made upon his arrival was quite audible. "What do you want?" For a second, Kazahaya bristled. If the moody boy was going to act like that, when he was about to be incredibly selfless and kind, he was considering rethinking his generous offer and just going back to the original plan of the dancing and blowing a raspberry for emphasis. Instead, he swallowed his anger and crouched down next to Rikuo in the aisle, out of sight of both of the other men in the store. "I wanted to see…" he began timidly, unsure how to continue. In all honesty, aside from concessions in offering to make dinner, neither of them had really been this kind to the other before in terms of work especially when they were in the middle of a competition with each other. "How much more do you have left to do?"

Rikuo eyed him suspiciously before checking the bottom label of a bottle to make sure of its color. "This, finish sweeping, and wiping that last shelf over there in the corner," he nodded his head to indicate the direction, as he finished gathering up the last few glass containers. Kazahaya thoughtfully mulled over the information before touching Rikuo's shoulder and giving a small smile. "I'll finish cleaning that shelf for you."

"Why?" he immediately asked gruffly, turning his head to look at him, the suspicion now on high alert. "What's in it for you?"

"It's called being nice, asshole."

"Yea…your 'niceness' is overwhelming. Calling me an asshole really helps support that argument."

The idea of _waltzing_ out the door now was sorely tempting. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Look. Do you want my help or not?" Rikuo shrugged and turned back to making sure all the bottles were in place and all facing the right direction. "Whatever." He had been around Rikuo long enough to know that 'whatever' really meant 'yes', even if it was a fairly flippant one. He rose from his position, muttering about unappreciative jerks, but headed towards the dirty shelf anyway despite his complaints. After he rounded the corner, Rikuo lifted his head ever so slightly to look towards the direction his comrade had just disappeared to, and although he tried to stop it, he gave a small – _miniscule_ – smile of appreciation. Perhaps Kazahaya's demonstration of charity could actually be enough for Rikuo to forgive his earlier trespasses that resulted in him being behind in his work in the first place. He certainly would have finished earlier, perhaps even before Kazahaya, if he hadn't found himself stopping every other minute to stare at him. Remembering that small fact helped him decide that he couldn't completely exonerate the shorter young man for his underhanded deeds quite yet.

Rikuo stood up in one fluid motion with his broom in hand, glad to have the damn nail polish display restored to its previous glory. His head now above the shelves, he had a clear view of the back of Kazahaya's head, the other teen removing boxes off the small remaining shelf and quickly wiping it down. Feeling eyes on him though, he turned around to see Rikuo smirking at him. He quickly calculated the appropriate response in his head when he realized Rikuo's smirk wasn't one of superiority but of barely contained mischief. He gave a small, coy, smile back, his amber eyes flickering in amusement and trying to properly convey a message to Rikuo. He was sure Rikuo had received it when the smirk widened and Kazahaya suddenly felt a surge of energy pulse between the two of them; it was the flirtation with desire the two of them had seemed to have been dancing around all day.

Rikuo's tongue flicked out to move across his bottom lip, an action that caught Kazahaya's immediate attention, while his hand tightened on his broom handle.

He smirked back at Rikuo, as he quickly ran the rag along the shelf one last time.

They both understood the message; the race to finish was on.

--

If Saiga had been confused before about Himura and Kudou's actions, he was fairly flabbergasted now. Although Kudou had been released from drugstore inventory prison earlier, he had seemingly stayed to _help _Himura finish as well, something that Saiga would never have imagined that he'd ever witness. For the past ten minutes, the two had made their best attempt to speed through their jobs while keeping in mind that if the work wasn't up to satisfactory completion, Kakei would make them do it again. Amongst Kudou's diligent speed wiping of the shelves and Himura managing to capture every dustball with his broom while darting back and forth across the aisles, they had done a fairly poor job in trying to mask the fleeting glances they sent each other every thirty seconds. He wasn't quite sure if it was to check the other's progress or… to check the other out. It looked as either scenario was plausible since occasionally after meeting gazes, they would both dutifully return to their task with more resolve and speed, while other times, the looks would linger and their respective automatic movements of wiping and sweeping halted completely until one of them would snap out of their shared daze.

As far as Saiga was concerned, the whole evening had turned into quite the ridiculous affair.

Now, Saiga made his best attempt to keep from chuckling at the two teenagers who stood in front of his lover, looking for all the world as if they'd just completed a 10K run instead of just the ten minute record setting cleaning. Both of their eyes seemed wider than normal and they were both extremely…fidgety. Kudou's eyes kept darting from trying to pay attention to Kakei and looking out of the corner of his eye to the other young man standing beside him. Meanwhile, Himura's hands kept unconsciously clenching. And despite their obvious excitement to be done for the day – or for Himura to be done since technically Kudou was now there of his own free will (literally and figuratively speaking, since Kakei wouldn't pay him for the additional time) – Kakei seemed to be enjoying prolonging their torture, a fact both teenagers were sorely aware of.

"So the aisles are done?"

"Yes," Himura replied shortly with a brisk nod of his head.

"All of your shelves wiped?"

"Yes."

"You sorted through the overstocked items and arranged them by date we need to sell them by?"

"Yes," he said tersely "you already signed off on that earlier in the day."

"Oh, did I?" Kakei replied innocently, going on with his mental checklist ignoring the hostile glares he received from both of his employees. "Must have forgotten. Did you place all the empty boxes in the recycling containers?"

"I did that earlier too. You know that," he retorted, quickly reaching the end of his rope. Kakei seemed unfazed though as he blankly stared at the younger man without any emotional response reaching his facial expressions. Saiga had to bite his tongue from outright cackling in twisted glee at their suffering and instead settled for a quiet snicker. Apparently not quiet enough when two pairs of fierce gold and green eyes shot daggers at him before returning to the current bane of their dual existence.

"And the nail polishes are cleaned up?"

"You asked that twice now! He said yes already!" Surprised by the sudden outburst, all eyes turned to the younger empath. His mouth quickly snapped shut into an evident frown, to avoid angering his superior, though he still heatedly glared at him annoyed and thoroughly agitated. If only looks could kill… Well, if that were actually the case, Saiga would have been forced to pound the poor shrimp into the ground. But the boy's attempt at 'menace' was fairly amusing.

Apparently deciding that he had had his fun and should let the poor young men go, Kakei gave a sigh. "Alright. Seems you're done. You're both free to go. Have a goodnight." By the time 'done' had left his lips, both boys had already stormed to the door. There was the loud rumbling of the metal security door being thrown upwards and both of them disappeared out of it no sooner after Kakei had just finished. "Don't forget work starts at eight tomorrow!" he shouted after them too late as the door crashed back down. Saiga erupted into deep laughter. "Well that was quite the exit. That boy can be quite the spitfire, can't he?"

Kakei walked over to the counter Saiga was sitting behind with his feet propped up on the surface. He leaned over, his elbow resting on the laminate top and delicately placed his chin in his upturned hand, smirking at his partner across from him. "You're cruel, you know that?" Saiga said, returning the smirk. Kakei shrugged his shoulders. "I like to keep them on their toes. Plus, I know why they were so eager to go." Saiga caught the glimpse of mischievousness creeping up in his lover's eyes behind his glasses and his interest was peeked. "Oh really now? And why would that be?"

"You owe me 5,000¥ handsome."

"How do you figure that?" If that was really true, Saiga was annoyed and demonstrated it by crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. Kakei ignored the gesture completely though and grinned. "Well, initially, I actually owed you money, but then made up for it when little Kudou-kun and I had a little chat earlier before dinner."

"And what did the brat say?"

"He disclosed to me that Himura-kun and himself have been involved for a few weeks now."

"I knew it!" Saiga declared, springing forward to smile triumphantly at the man across from him. He brought his hand up between them, palm open expectantly. "Pay up," he said, completely forgetting Kakei's previous statement. The drug store owner was quick to amend the situation. "Ah ah ah, not so fast. He then was so kind as to tell me that they have not been _intimately_ involved." Saiga's face fell. "So pay up dear. 5,000¥," Kakei said, grinning with his eyes closed and his hand now upturned as well.

"You're cruel, you know that?"

"You already said that."

"But I mean it this time."

"Stop stalling and pay me."

Saiga quickly wracked his brain for a way to get himself out of this mess. He'd legitimately thought that those two brats had gone at it already. How could they _not _have!? They were two young males with hormones! Hormones! But if their expressions just now had been any indication… A proverbial light bulb went off in the man's head and he beamed in joy. "I'll make you a new bet. 5,000¥ says that they'll be 'intimate' tonight."

"I'm not an idiot dear. Please just pay me now," Kakei said impassively. Saiga looked crestfallen again; there had to be another way out of this. He was low on money that month and really hadn't intended to lose. In fact, he'd been sure he would win both bets providing him with a nice modest sum, some of which he had been planning to squander at the pachinko parlor. Never mind his partner was psychic…he wasn't always on top of it, as was obviously proven with him losing the first bet. Maybe he could offer Kakei something else instead. His body perhaps? No – that would never work and Kakei would still demand a cash payment. Maybe…maybe there was one more bet he could make. "I bet you 10,000 ¥ that they'll both be late to work tomorrow?" The proposition had come out more as question than an actual statement, as Saiga was skeptical himself of such a foolish wager. And why the hell did he up the bet when he was already behind? No, Kakei would be too smart to take him up on something so-

"Okay."

If it were possible to see the taller man's eyes, you would have seen them widen in shock. He hadn't honestly believed that that would work. "Really? You mean it?"

"Although Kudou-kun has a fondness for being tardy, Himura-kun is still a dedicated employee with a work ethic and always sees to it that both of them are on time. I find it extremely unlikely that he would let any nocturnal activities keep _him_ at the very least from being late." Saiga found himself nodding along to Kakei's seemingly infallible reasoning; he even began rethinking his challenge. However, he was stuck now and it was the only way out, even if it was a complete shot in the dark. If anything, it would buy him some time – well a night – to try and come up with some money.

"Okay, you're on."

"Oh dear. Haven't you learned that gambling with a psychic proves fatal for you wallet?" Kakei raised a slim eyebrow in questioning as he continued to peer up at his lover through the pale brown hair that fell over his eyes, looking rather smug with his head still resting on his hand. Saiga reached forward and delicately removed the slimmer man's glasses, folding them and placing them down beside the cash register. "You're not all powerful," he retorted giving a sly grin. "and I have luck."

He kissed Kakei before he issued another witty protest in an attempt to counter. It was time to end this argument and get out of the store. Then again the counter was rather wide…

--

Kazahaya had managed to make it to the door of their shared apartment first by bounding up the stairs two at a time while his fingers had quickly undone the knot of his apron for the final time that day. When his hand fell upon the knob of the unlocked door he gave a firm twist, pushing it open hastily in his rush to get inside and continue to avoid the other man behind him who was right on his heels. Just as he had managed to get a few feet into the apartment, he spun around to smirk at the large mass that was suddenly hulking in the doorway with both elbows propped up on either side of the doorframe. His smirk was met with a sneer. "Why you little bastard." Rikuo, surprisingly, was breathing rather heavily considering the jog up the stairs wasn't that strenuous and shouldn't have winded him. With that little fact stored safely away in Kazahaya's mind and relishing in its implications, the smirk turned into a coy smile.

"What's wrong, Ri-ku-o?" he asked coolly, enjoying the way Rikuo's eyes narrowed when he purposefully drew out the syllables in his name. He knew he was egging him on and playing with fire, but it was just too much to resist. Especially considering he was the one getting rises out of his companion for once, drawing him along and managing to keep him on his toes. It sent a victorious thrill down his spine, and combined with the excitement already coursing through his veins because of his roommate, he was feeling rather daring at the moment. "Something bothering you?"

He took a step forward into the apartment, "You know full well what's bothering me." And then another. The smaller young man appropriately responded by taking two steps back, his smile growing as the time ticked by, unfazed by his roommate's menacing demeanor. "No – I don't. Why don't you explain it to me."

Rikuo rushed forward, the door slamming with a large thud behind him. Kazahaya managed to smirk up at the taller youth before hands snaked around his waist, pulling him forcefully towards Rikuo's solid form. He draped his slender arms over Rikuo's shoulders, letting his fingers mindlessly wander along the muscles of his shoulder blades, feeling them flex as the dark head dropped down to bring their faces closer together. "How about I _show_ you what's bothering me." The gentle murmur he gave against Kazahaya's partially opened mouth sent a shiver down Rikuo's spine, enjoying the feel of their lips brushing together and electricity forming in the small space left in between.

He had been hoping to finally catch the empath off guard; call his bluff of confidence and shake his seemingly brazen resolve. His actions this evening had been so… arrogant and self-assured, so drastically different from his normal behavior. In fact, it bordered on how_ he_ typically acted around the other moody teenager. He carefully observed the dark amber eyes looking up at him; confident, roguish eyes laced with desire seemed to change color between a dull dark amber and fiery fierce gold. What had become of the Kazahaya who hid from him when he heard his footsteps coming down the aisles in the store? The one who barricaded himself in bathrooms and choked on his food when Rikuo would make a lewd remark? The one who would flush every time Rikuo would brush against him? There wasn't a single hint of pink on his pale cheeks now.

This bold Kazahaya was not afraid to push Rikuo's buttons just as fiercely as Rikuo tried to push his. And although he had been more than confident earlier that he would easily win Kazahaya's little challenge, he was rather irritated to realize that by all appearances, his roommate had emerged the victor. He _wanted_ him – fiercely. And although Kazahaya obviously desired Rikuo as well, he wasn't clambering over the taller boy either. Instead, the shorter young man was starring expectantly up at Rikuo with a smirk still delicately placed upon his features, seemingly unfazed by the longing Rikuo was suffering from. At that moment he wanted more than anything to wipe that horrible smirk from Kazahaya's face and make him just as frazzled as he felt.

There was little warning before Rikuo spun them and pushed Kazahaya up against the nearest wall, crushing their lips together, desperate to break the other boy's cool composure. Rikuo invaded his companion's mouth to find an eager tongue waiting to meet and duel him, and he let forth an audible groan when fingers played with the short hairs at the nape of his neck before weaving upwards. The arousal he'd been trying to ignore for the past hour began to arise from its dormant state. The brunette writhing in his arms made its existence painfully obvious when Kazahaya bucked his hips upwards to rub against him, causing Rikuo to groan again into his mouth. Rikuo realized with some dismay his 'plan' wasn't working and going to plan at all.

He pulled away to glare down at the other young man. When Kazahya gave a lazy grin and peered back up at him past caramel colored bangs that fell over his hooded eyes, Rikuo gave a small growl of annoyance. "Tease," he accused with not as much venom behind the word as he would have hoped. Kazahaya allowed one of his hands to run down the side of Rikuo's neck, lightly grazing the shell of his ear along the way, and brush past the collarbone partially exposed beneath the black long sleeved shirt while looking him straight in the eye. "What do you want Rikuo?"

"Shut up," he snapped. "You know full well what I want."

Kazahaya had to admit he was rather impressed with himself and his new found confidence. But in some regards it was just so…easy. When he managed to get past what he thought might be embarrassing or compromising, he realized it was just…_fun_. He found himself wondering why exactly he had been so bashful for so long when there had been the prospect of all of this: the desire that seemed to be heating his entire body, the giddy thrill that coursed through him from kissing and touching Rikuo, and the immense pleasure of just being so physically close. Plus, the thought of having control over the usually impassive and stoic boy - because Rikuo _wanted_ him - was exhilarating and emboldened his daring actions.

"Tell me what you want Rikuo," he murmured, shifting his weight forward again to press their hips together. Rikuo let out a small hiss, momentarily closing his eyes, and Kazahaya had to bite back the small moan that threatened to escape. He too was painfully aware of his own arousal but now was not the time to admit to that, instead concentrating on making Rikuo crack. "Tell me what you want," he repeated, shifting again and feeling Rikuo's hands clench his sides, "and you can have it."

The dark green fire he saw in Rikuo's eyes when they snapped open caused his breath to catch in his throat. Abruptly, Rikuo's mouth came back down to kiss under Kazahaya's jaw and the sides of his neck using his tongue to press against the tight pale skin, skillfully sucking it into his mouth before letting go and repeating the action with his next kiss. Kazahaya threw his head back, dimly aware of the thud it made against the wall but eager to have his roommate continue his ministrations. Rikuo breathed out a rush of hot air onto the sensitive flesh when hands began to urgently press into his back. "Kazahaya…"

"Say...it…," he choked out, trying to maintain some small amount of composure. He was quickly losing his precarious upper hand in the situation and didn't want Rikuo to regain control again. But the tricks he could do with his mouth were… mind-blowing. He shook his head trying to regain his senses and forget about the lips and tongue that were currently assaulting his neck. "Say it, or…I'll push you off right now," he threatened weakly.

He felt the vibrations against his throat as Rikuo gave a deep chuckle while continuing to kiss the side of his neck. "I doubt it," he said, flicking the skin with his tongue that hid Kazahaya's strong and rapidly beating pulse underneath. Kazahaya couldn't stop the shudder that ran through his body and mentally cursed his quickly crumbling resolve. He was so close – so close to finally driving Himura Rikuo crazy instead of it always being the other way around. He couldn't give up now that he'd come so far. "Bastard," he muttered darkly. He heard Rikuo snicker and then felt the quick and momentary sting of teeth nipping his ear lobe. "Careful who you call 'bastard' 'Kaza-kun'," the taller boy whispered with a smile, enjoying the fact Kazahaya hated the little petname that store fan-girls had recently begun calling him.

Kazahaya's resolve snapped back into place. "Rikuo…," he murmured breathily, making sure to draw out the other boy's name. He brought one hand down to tangle in the top of Rikuo's dark locks of hair while the other pressed against the side of his neck, fingers playing with the small dip right behind his ear. He knew it was a weak spot of his co-worker, one he'd discovered during one of their make out sessions when his tongue had accidentally roamed there. Of course the results were much better when he used his mouth but his finger would do the same trick. He was rewarded when Rikuo paused momentarily in using his mouth to press his face into the side of Kazahya's neck. He couldn't see the side of Kazahaya's mouth quirk up in triumph. "Remember the broom Rikuo?"

Oh how Rikuo remembered that damn broom; he remembered it all too well. With even greater clarity, he remembered the delicate pale hand wrapped around the broomstick doing incredibly indecent – _suggestive -_ things in the middle of their workplace. He groaned again and Kazahaya took that as an affirmative reply to his question. "Just say it Rikuo, and like I said…" Kazahaya lightly pressed the spot behind his ear and dragged his finger down the side of Rikuo's neck, "you can have it." Rikuo replied by burying his face in the side of Kazahaya's neck and pressed against him, yearning to feel sweet friction. He let his tongue glide along the rim of Kazahaya's ear and felt the slight pull at his hair urging him on. He nipped at the lobe again, his strangled gruff whisper cutting straight to Kazahaya's core.

"You."

Kazahaya's heart froze for what felt like impossibly long seconds, his lips parted in pleasant surprise. He had actually said it. He never thought hearing that single word would ever bring him such…pleasure.

"You," Rikuo breathed out again, his voice slightly firmer in its conviction while licking the shell of Kazahaya's ear once more, causing the shorter boy to hit his head against the wall a second time with a solid thud. He clutched Rikuo's black hair, hauling him up from his kiss bruised neck, and forcefully brought his mouth down to meet his own. He moaned into the kiss unable to contain the sheer euphoric feeling that was seeping into his veins and very being. Rikuo slipped a hand between the wall and the small of Kazahaya's back and used his new leverage to pull the empath against him. "I want you," he repeated, the words becoming a spell that entranced both of them with each seductive incantation.

Kazahaya brought his leg up in an attempt to wrap it around Rikuo's waist. Quickly grasping the idea, Rikuo used his other hand to support Kazahaya's thigh and suddenly both felt the benefits of the brunette's brilliant move. The proof of their arousals were finally able to make some small contact despite the layers of cloth in between them and they both pushed into each other harder, moaning into their kiss. Despite the better position, Kazahaya was quickly becoming frustrated with the lack of real friction and the poor setting the wall provided for what course they seemed to be taking. If he was going to be shoved against a surface, he'd prefer something a tad more yielding.

"Bed," he managed to gasp between kisses, the word muffled by Rikuo's mouth. Although at first he wasn't sure if he'd been heard and if he'd have to make a second attempt, Rikuo pulled his head away finally to give a curt nod to him, his mouth set in a usual grim line but his eyes not nearly as sharp as usual. He looked sedated and only half as imposing as he typically wanted to come across. Kazahaya realized he too probably had that drugged look about him, as it took him a moment to snap out of his pleasure induced daze.

Rikuo shook his head to try and clear the fog from his mind. "Come on, let's go." He released his hold on his roommate, pulling back from him and the wall, preparing to turn to walk towards their shared bedrooms when a hand shot out and grabbed his arm. "What?" he asked, confused as to why Kazahaya was stopping him when he was the one who had wanted to go. Either they were going to continue this here in their living room or in their bedroom only a mere curtain away, but either way Rikuo wanted to be quick about it.

"Our aprons," Kazahaya stated, absentmindedly fingering the course green material that Rikuo was still wearing. Although he'd already untied it on the staircase like his eager co-worker had done, in his rush, Rikuo had actually forgotten about it. Glad to be rid of one more article of clothing, Rikuo hastily took it off and threw it to the ground. With a quick decisive move, he also flipped the light switch Kazahaya had neglected earlier to turn off. The moment Kazahaya's apron was over his head, Rikuo grabbed his hand and began dragging him towards their bedroom on the other side of the dark apartment, leaving two discarded green aprons in their wake.

--

Throwing the curtain aside that separated the living area and kitchen from their bedrooms, also normally separated by a curtain that was currently pushed to one side, Rikuo paused looking from one corner of the room to the other. Two different beds in their respective corners meant two choices in where to continue their activities. Rikuo's natural instinct was to head for his bed, but that was further away and there could be complaints from his companion over 'always having to have it his way' or something equally as petty and mundane. But he could see that Kazahaya's side was messy from the limited light coming in from the window above his bed; the covers and sheets in disarray and clothes spread on the floor creating a multi-colored moat around the bed that could be difficult to navigate. Plus the alarm on his side of the room –

"You going to stand there all day?" Kazahaya shoved his way past the preoccupied young man busy with his mental debate, and briskly proceeded towards Rikuo's bed. He quickly toed off his sneakers when he sat down on the dark blue sheets that covered the firm mattress and turned to look expectantly at his roommate. What was his problem anyway? He was the one that had been ready to go at it against the concrete walls of their apartment right near the front door. Maybe the great Himura Rikuo was losing his nerve… Now that was an interesting thought.

Now that he was thinking about it, maybe he was starting to lose his own…

Before any further contemplation could be given to that potentially problematic path though, Kazahaya saw his roommate stalking towards him, and couldn't help but give a small smile at his now unruly hair. Rikuo didn't seem to catch the amused expression however as he sat down at the end of the bed beside him roommate and took off his shoes as well. Finished with the minor task, he observed the empath out of the corner of his eye. Now that the overwhelming sense of urgency had subsided a bit, due to their change of locations, he suddenly found himself unsure how to proceed and get the ball rolling again. And Kazahaya didn't seem to be providing any immediate answers to the dilemma, as he merely reclined back on the bed in a relaxed fashion, his hands placed behind him for support. But then he caught sight of the lazy smile, and Rikuo was glad to see the game was still on. He turned his head to regard the fair haired brunette, giving a sly grin which he sure the other saw despite the dark. "I believe you owe me something."

Kazahaya cocked his head to the side, leaning back further on his hands. "Then come and get it."

--

A.N.: Sorry that that took longer than expected; starting school up again has the tendency to do that. I would like to thank all of you that have taken time to not only read this story thus far but review it as well. You have no idea how those few made me very pleased and encouraged me to get my butt in gear and finish editing this chapter to get it posted. I look forward to further commentary and having the next chapter come up hopefully soon.


	4. Part IV

Disclaimer: I by no means own any of the rights to the Clamp manga story of Legal Drug or its characters.

Second Sunday

By Crystal Delphina

Completed: December 3, 2008

Part IV of IV

Kazahaya knew what it was like to be in Rikuo's bed; some might recall that he'd slept there on quite a few occasions – well at least four times. He knew that the mattress was firmer than his own, something that always resulted in his back hurting in the morning. He knew the dark blue sheets were always meticulously clean and always smelled of a mix of fresh detergent and Rikuo's own musky scent. He knew that Rikuo only slept with a top sheet, finding blankets to be too cumbersome and making him too hot in the middle of the night no matter what the season. And he knew that Rikuo slept with only one pillow, unlike Kazahaya's two, which always resulted in them fighting over who got to sleep on it; Kazahaya usually lost that fight considering it was Rikuo's bed. But despite all of his previous knowledge and things he'd learned about his roommate's bed and his sleeping habits – such as that he slept like a log during the night and wouldn't move once he was fast asleep – the things he was currently learning concerning Rikuo's bed was fascinating new information. For example, he'd never realized how delightful the headboard could be or how practical a function it served. Currently, he was finding that grasping onto the metal bars of the frame worked quite well in keeping him from going off the deep end – metaphorically speaking of course.

The look in Rikuo's eyes when he first issued his challenge scared him and made him question his choice in words. Initially, the predatory gaze directed his way was effective in stealing his breath away. However when his roommate lunged forward, tightly pressing their lips together, the burning sensation in his chest served as a healthy reminder to use his lungs and he began hastily taking in air through his nose. Rikuo's hands traveled to either side of his face, fingers playing with silken strands of caramel colored hair, to hold him in place as he deepened the kiss with their tongues entwining. With Rikuo's body firmly pressed against his own, his hands gave out from underneath him and they both collapsed onto the bed, the impact jarring their kiss. The weight of another body on top of him was surprisingly comfortable along with Rikuo's soft cheek pressed against the side of his face.

"Move up," Rikuo softly commanded into his ear. Kazahaya readily obeyed and was glad to have his legs no longer dangling over the side of the bed, although he found the loss of their close proximity to be regrettable. Rikuo hoisted himself up onto his hands and knees, observing Kazahaya using his new freedom ungracefully shuffle backwards on the bed. When Kazahaya had readjusted himself and laid back down, Rikuo continued to silently gaze at him from the other end of the bed. Rikuo was only reminded that he should move forward as well when he felt the other male's foot tap against the inside of his calf. He slowly crawled up Kazahaya's length on his hands and knees, noting how golden eyes seemed to change into dark amber in the light from the window.

The look of desire that flitted across the brunette's expression prompted Rikuo's head to descend quickly to capture his lips in another bruising kiss. Pale hands rapidly flew to his back, pressing down with force to usher Rikuo to resume their earlier position of him on top. When Rikuo complied, their legs naturally fell in-between each other's and subsequently began to grind their groins together while the hands on his back began to grasp fistfuls of his shirt clenching at the material rhythmatically. Kazahaya was forced to loosen his grip when Rikuo rose slightly, still managing to keep their lips firmly attached, so he could roughly move a hand down Kazahaya's side. When he reached the hem of the shorter man's shirt, his fingers skimmed the flesh found under the red fabric of the t-shirt Kazahaya wore. Not content with the few meager inches he had managed to touch, Rikuo slid his digits further up the other's chest, causing the shirt to lift in tandem with the exploring hand. His fingers first grazed both protruding peaks of flesh on Kazahaya's chest and quickly surmised this was the right course of action when the other male's legs encircled his own. It was when he gently squeezed the dark peaks and ran his short nails across the sensitive flesh that Kazahaya's hands flew up to hold onto the bed frame.

And now Kazahaya was having trouble thinking, thinking anything at all besides the immediate need to fulfill his want for pleasure. He knew that clothes were in the way. He knew that they were both venturing somewhere uncharted. He knew that something needed to happen soon or he'd explode. He knew he wouldn't be able to last long either way. He knew that Rikuo's head buried in the crux of his neck would inevitably leave so many kiss induced bruises that he'd be forced to wear a turtle neck or a scarf to work for the next week in the middle of summer. He knew he didn't care so long as Rikuo kept giving long low groans as he was now. And above all else, he knew Rikuo wanted him.

That thought alone made him regain his senses enough to let go of the cold metal bars and instead try to find the front of Rikuo's form so he could unbutton the trail of buttons of his dark blue collared shirt he'd worn that day. He made a few attempts that went unacknowledged, but finally the head of black hair lifted up and away, providing Kazahaya his needed access. As each inch of Rikuo's broad pale chest was exposed, Kazahaya had to work harder to concentrate on undoing the white buttons from their small holes, tempted to tear the shirt off entirely but having at least some sense to know that Rikuo would kill him for it later. When the final button was free, Rikuo's shirt fell open and the smaller brunette sat up and unceremoniously moved his lips to press against the hollow of Rikuo's throat, allowing his tongue to swirl the sensitive dip in skin. He could feel Rikuo's pulse begin to race against his mouth and could taste the fine sheen of sweat that was beginning to cover both their forms. The taller young man tasted…_rich_; something between sweet and salty that made Kazahaya heady with every swipe of his pink tongue on the smooth pale skin.

A deep seeded hunger that had grown throughout the day finally growled in desire, resulting from the teasing touches and heated looks Kazahaya had received in the midst of trying to count endless boxes of cold medicines. A hunger that over the course of the past week had preoccupied all of Kazahaya's thoughts and had fueled dreams he would never admit to having. A hunger that had inspired the uncharacteristic actions he had taken during the day; now he was ready to make another move. Although one of Rikuo's hands was already under his red shirt and his other was moving towards the hem, Kazahaya's hands beat him there and he quickly pulled the offending article off, throwing it in some forlorn corner as soon as it was over his head. A small part of him wanted to recoil in embarrassment during that moment of brazen exposure, but a reaction such as that was overshadowed by the more prominent emotions he was experiencing. He gave a small smile, his golden eyes shining up at the jade ones above him as Rikuo's eyes appreciatively trailed over his form.

The large hand that had been preoccupied with gently pinching the sensitive flesh of Kazahaya's chest instead retraced its earlier path and made its way down back towards his flat stomach. Fingers skimmed over the buttons of Kazahaya's baggy tan cargo pants, dangerously close to touching the seam of fabric that covered a barely contained bulge. Rikuo hesitated and both boys' eyes locked in nervous and excited anticipation, demonstrated by the large gulp of air they both seemed to simultaneously take. Rikuo's fingers twitched but they continued to hover over the material. He took a shaky breath and momentarily looked away from Kazahaya's gaze, "Is this…alright?" His eyes darted back to the young man under him expectantly, eager for the answer. Kazahaya's bangs shifted when he gave a small curt nod.

Letting go of the breath he'd been holding, shaking fingers finally descended to touch Kazahaya's arousal through the course material of his pants. The shorter man gave a moan of pleasure at the long awaited contact. Kazahaya delighted in the new experience, enjoying the firm pressure and gentle friction that Rikuo's hand provided as it moved up and down his length in a loose grasp. His hands clawed at Rikuo's back under the open shirt as he closed his eyes, trying not to lose himself in the rush of euphoria that was flooding his senses. He wanted this so badly; had wanted this all day. He had wanted Rikuo kissing and touching him just like this for an excruciating twelve hour work shift. He wanted more.

Rikuo watched his roommate squirm beneath him, the movement of his lithe body in time with the strokes of his hand. The sight of the brunette with his mouth partially opened in ecstasy and his eyes screwed tightly shut was one of the most entrancing sights he'd ever witnessed. "Rikuo," Kazahaya moaned in a breathy voice that jolted every nerve ending Rikuo had. He wanted to hear his name said like that again. He wanted to keep Kazahaya panting like this for hours just so he could continue to watch the erotic display on his features. Never mind that his other arm that held him propped up above Kazahaya would probably give out soon due to exertion. It would be well worth the effort. He heard his name again, this time the moan longer, and felt short nails biting into the skin of his back. He felt that strong jolt a second time and felt his own neglected arousal twitch in response; suddenly he wanted to make Kazahaya scream his name.

"Rikuo," Kazahaya tried a third time, attempting to get the dark haired psychic's attention. His eyes fluttered open to peer up at Rikuo and he nearly gasped at the intense and heated dark green gaze. He was rather pleased to note that Rikuo had a flushed expression as well. It was such a rare sight that if they hadn't been currently preoccupied with more important things he might have attempted to photograph the event. In any case, when he finally had the attention of his roommate, Kazahaya rolled his hips upwards pushing into Rikuo's hand. One of his hands that had been clawing at Rikuo's back, skimmed down the side of his torso until his fingers brushed the heavy material of the dark blue jeans he was wearing and he hooked a finger under the waistband. He watched Rikuo's eyes narrow as his finger slowly moved under the denim from the side of his hip towards the front of his body, pulling lightly at the material. When his finger finally worked its way to the button of Rikuo's fly, still gently tugging the denim down, Rikuo let out a hiss. Kazahaya was driving him absolutely insane and he wasn't sure whether to throttle the boy for teasing him or start stroking him harder. He was fairly certain he received an answer to his dilemma when Kazahaya tugged at his jeans again while simultaneously pressing his arousal into Rikuo's palm again. "Touch me," the empath whispered, as he undid the brass button of Rikuo's jeans.

Although relatively two simple words, Rikuo seemed completely unable to comprehend their meaning when strung together in such a command seeing as he just stared dumbfounded at Kazahaya. The shorter young man made a second attempt. "Touch me," he said again softly, his hooded eyes only partially masking the small mischievous spark behind them when he rolled his hips again for encouragement, "and I'll touch you." Deft fingers unzipped the metal teeth of Rikuo's jeans and slipped inside the dark folds of denim to graze against the sensitive skin underneath amongst course dark hair.

That had been all the encouragement Rikuo had needed. With a speed he didn't know he possessed, or that was physically possible, he managed to untie the drawstring of Kazahaya's cargos, undo the button, and unzip his pants all with one hand. He fell forward, his hand finally giving up on supporting his whole upper body weight, and instead shifted his position so his weight rested on his knees that were in between each of Kazahaya's legs and on his forearm so their upper bodies were only mere inches away from touching each others. He leaned forward and took Kazahaya's mouth in a hungry kiss, both of their eyes closing again, as he pushed his hand under Kazahaya's pants to wrap his fingers around his length in a firm grasp. He swallowed the moan Kazahaya gave at the contact, and the subsequent moan he gave when he began stroking his hardened shaft. Rikuo deepened the kiss, increasing the fight with the other's tongue, when he felt soft fingertips he'd been waiting for all day brush against his own arousal. He wasn't sure where the innocent and bashful Kazahaya that he knew had gone, but frankly he didn't care if he ever saw him again.

Truthfully, although Kazahaya was quite distracted by the sensations that were sending jolts of electricity throughout his entire body from his co-workers ministrations, he was still determined to return the favor in kind. Plus, he was curious. Although he'd touched himself hundreds of times, he'd never touched anyone else so intimately before and had only practiced doing such a thing with Rikuo in his dreams. His fingers brushed up and down against the hardened length, feeling the warmth from the skin that encased the hardened blood-engorged organ, the softness of the head with the small dip in the middle, the black curls that ran along the base and marked the path to the soft sacs underneath. While he explored the entire surface of Rikuo's shaft, he took special note of Rikuo's reactions when his fingers skimmed over certain areas, causing him to retrace his steps to garner a repeated response. He stretched his hand out to hold the balls and applied gentle pressure, causing Rikuo to give a harder squeeze in the middle of stroking Kazahaya. Rikuo extricated his mouth away and stilled his hand much to the smaller man's chagrin.

"What?" Kazahaya moaned, a slight whine in his voice as he tried to move against Rikuo to regain the lost momentum. Rikuo shifted forward slightly causing their chests to come in contact for the first time, making Kazahaya's already limited cognition skills go into a tailspin. Kazahaya began to close his eyes and shift again to insist that Rikuo _move_, but was stopped when he felt Rikuo give a _strong_ squeeze to his member that actually dangerously teetered on the thin line of _painful_. And just like that, Rikuo had magically managed to regain the brunette's full and undivided attention, the haze diminishing slightly in the golden eyes. "What?" he repeated, through gritted teeth.

Rikuo leaned down further, resting more of his weight on Kazahaya's chest and brought his mouth close to the other boy's ear. "Stop teasing me," Rikuo growled lowly. With their upper bodies nearly superglued together, Kazahaya could feel the vibrations from Rikuo's demand reverberate seemingly throughout his entire body. The feeling generated further awareness within Kazahaya of just how, well, physically close the two of them were. Then, Rikuo uttered a word that Kazahaya would have been willing to bet an entire month's paycheck on never hearing said to him in his lifetime:

"Please."

Rikuo pushed himself forcefully against the hand that was still in his jeans while he simultaneously stroked Kazahaya, drawing a groan from the boy underneath him. There was a sharp hitch in Rikuo's breathing when he felt long fingers delicately begin to wrap around his length, but still too soft in their handling to give him the relief he needed. He latched his mouth to the side of Kazahaya's pale neck, glad to feel the wildly racing pulse under his tongue again. "Kazahaya," he growled. His roommate only gave a small grunt in acknowledgement. "Stop teasing," he repeated, his deep ragged voice nearly pleading in his frustration and impatience. "I can't take it anymore." And with that admission, Rikuo's world was suddenly sent spinning. Literally.

Mustering up a sudden burst of strength, Kazahaya rolled the two of them over until he was mostly on top of his baffled companion. He made quick work of stopping any protest over their changed positions by promptly moving forward to close the gap between their mouths, entering the warm cavern with his tongue without any hesitation. Rikuo's free hand came up to rest on the small of his back, fingers drawing small invisible circles on the sensitive flesh that sent a chill down Kazahaya's spine. Confident that Rikuo wouldn't suddenly materialize a shoe out of thin air to hit him with regarding his little stunt, he pulled back just enough to look into jade eyes that had grown so dark from arousal they looked obsidian in the nearly pitch-black room. He wasn't sure if the darkness he saw in those depths was stirring up more feelings of apprehension or excitement within him.

Coupled with the fact that both of their pants were already baggy, their previous 'activities' had forced their pants to ride low on their hips providing ample access for Kazahaya to implement his plan. With a deep breath, he took a firm grasp of Rikuo's erection, his thumb rubbing over the head and smearing the small amount of liquid that had already collected there. Rikuo gave a sharp hiss but didn't close his eyes. Kazahaya brought his forehead down to rest against Rikuo's, strands of auburn and black bangs damp from sweat mixing together, all the while keeping their eyes locked even at such close proximity.

Their lips brushed once, not quite kissing-

Kazahaya gave a firm stroke.

Uneven exhales of air spilled over both their lips and mingled together in the space between. Twice-

Another stroke, his thumb firmly pressing the small hole at the tip.

A small groan accompanied the third time their lips brushed –

Rikuo caught onto the idea and mimicked the intimate caress in time with the other boy.

They were both breathing harshly – taking in the moist heat from the other's exhale – and Kazahaya's lips softly moved against the dark haired boy's partially opened mouth. "Together."

Rikuo could honestly say he'd never heard anything so exhilarating so far in his short lived life. Kazahaya's single uttered word had managed to induce a drug like effect that made him nearly dizzy with passion. '_Together'_. The soft husky voice echoed in his mind. His entire attention became focused on that dual demand / request that his roommate had issued and his desire to fulfill it. He slid his fingers up the path of Kazahaya's spine, making the other boy shudder again at his touch. '_Together'._ Rikuo's fingers danced up the nape of Kazahaya's neck to cup the side, and despite the impossible task, Kazahaya pressed their foreheads closer together still. Rikuo momentarily closed his eyes and gave what could pass for a small smile before looking back up at the dark golden eyes above him. "Together," he confirmed in a sincere whisper and closed the minute gap between their mouths, desperately drinking in Kazahaya as his hand clutched at golden brown strands of hair. And simultaneously their hands around each other's erections tightened and began to slowly pump in time.

Kazahaya was experiencing something very close to what he envisioned heaven to be; sensual, pleasurable, and torturously enjoyable. He felt as if there was a cord within him that was being wound tighter and tighter with each pass of Rikuo's palm and each thrust of their hips. Everything; there was almost _too much_ of everything. Every nerve ending on his body was on fire, every single sensory input attuned to the parts that were touching Rikuo; their chests, their hands, their groins, their lips, their still clothed legs flexing around one another's. Rikuo and he were pressed so tightly together, so inescapably entwined, that he felt all of it – and he wanted more. He was so lost in euphoria he was even willing to ignore the slight discomfort from the lack of lubrication. However he was painfully aware how close to the edge he was; how it was taking all of his very limited control to not just allow his body to let itself free and joyfully fall over the precipice of climax. But they had said 'together'- had agreed to it - and he had every intention of trying to keep that small promise. But still…he wouldn't be able to last much longer. He gave a loud moan against the other young man's mouth when he felt the hand on his arousal twist along the shaft providing a new sensation. No… not much longer at all.

He pulled back slightly, though the hand at the back at his head forcefully pushing him down made the job nearly impossible. "Ri..k-…ah," he attempted, cutting himself off with a groan. Rikuo leaned up to recapture his lips but only managed to gently tug at Kazahaya's lower lip with his teeth. He wanted to keep sating his hunger for Kazahaya, and the brunette deciding to start talking was not going to help with that endeavor. There were other, more important things to be concerned with, especially considering he wasn't sure if he could hold out much longer. His thoughts had been unable to drift away to anything other than Kazahaya for the last few hours now, every single thought preoccupied with touching the other boy as soon as he was able. That mild state of prolonged desire, which had only escalated into full blown arousal in the last hour, was making it nearly impossible to hold onto any semblance of control while his body was screaming at him for release.

Distracted by Kazahaya's fingers massaging along his shaft, he nipped a bit too hard at the full lip in-between his teeth causing the other boy to flinch slightly. He quickly let go of the captured lip and gave a small kiss as means of apology, though the empath seemed unconcerned with the pain. "Rik-kuo," Kazahaya tried again managing the full name this time, even if there was some stuttering. When half lidded dark eyes gazed up at him only partly attentively, he felt his head spinning again from the sight. He never thought he'd be the one to say it but…Rikuo was practically oozing seduction at the moment even if it wasn't intentional. "Rikuo, I can't- can't hold on-" he faltered on his words, becoming rapidly aware of how true they were. He wanted….soon…very soon…

"Good, neither can I," Rikuo said, his words nearly lost amongst his exhale and accompanying small grunt. He watched Kazahaya shut his eyes tightly in concentration when he sped up his hand on the other boy, feeling the warmth pulsate beneath his hand. He struggled, but he managed to lean up enough to whisper in Kazahaya's ear. "Together Kazahaya."

That was the final straw. That cord that had been tightly winding in Kazahaya finally snapped with hearing his name in Rikuo's husky voice and the utter inability to contain himself any longer. He felt his body twitch and spasm in the much anticipated release and as his head dropped down to Rikuo's shoulder, he issued a deep cry biting his lip to keep from actually screaming. It was a moment later when he realized his body wasn't the only one convulsing and that he could actually feel Rikuo's arousal in his hand twitching with each ejaculation as he enjoyed his own climax. He opened one eye enough to look over to his side to see Rikuo's head thrown back into the pillow, biting hard on his lip as well, a fine sheen of sweat covering his face, neck and shoulders. The sight of the other young man lost in ecstasy had Kazahaya bury his face deeper against the side of Rikuo's neck as he rode out the last waves of his own pleasure, panting and desperate for air.

Even if he had had to move, Kazahaya felt that doing so at that point would have been impossible. He was willing to bet that even an hour later he would still be in the same state of incapacitation. He was fully on top of Rikuo, sprawled out on the taller boy and not supporting any of his own weight. And unless Rikuo physically shoved him off or moved him, he had no intention what so ever of moving. His body just felt so heavy, nearly as heavy as his mind felt fuzzy. Only the sound of their labored breathing filled the still air as they both laid there in silence. The smaller brunette was sure thought that his heart beat must have been audible due to how it was thundering in his chest. However, as the silence continued to stretch on between them, and the last vespers of arousal faded from him, he became aware of their state. They were still half naked, sweaty, and now quickly becoming sticky as well. He also realized with some mild embarrassment that his hand was definitely still located in the realm under his roommate's jeans. He gently let go and carefully moved his hand back up to the safe zone of the bed sheets, and only shifted slightly when Rikuo did the same.

He needed a shower. As tempting as sleep was, he was not going to fall asleep to only wake up in the morning to find himself cemented to Rikuo.

Minutes continued to slip by and Kazahaya, done with his basking in the pleasurable afterglow of orgasm, was becoming annoyed with his co-worker's sudden lack of any sort of demonstration of consciousness. He ruefully wondered if the broody young man had fallen asleep and forgotten about him. But with a glance at the other's face he knew that despite Rikuo's eyes being shut, he wasn't asleep. A horrible realization flashed through Kazahaya's mind and his form stiffened in fear and dread. The only reason that Rikuo would be purposefully ignoring his existence still in his bed was if he…regretted what had just transpired between the two. He didn't know whether or not if he really wanted to know the answer to that possible question though, knowing that the response could irrevocably change their relationship forever; though the last hour alone managed to do a nice number in that arena. Kazahaya's thoughts strayed back to the problem he had been dwelling on earlier in the day:

What was their relationship again exactly?

Too wrapped up in his own musings and worries, Kazahaya missed the slanted green eyes of his roommate open. "What's wrong?" Rikuo's usual monotone voice seemed rather loud and jarring in the otherwise silent room. He gave a small start of surprise before regaining his composure and turned his head slightly to the side to glance up at Rikuo's profile, though he still sat unmoving on top of the other larger boy. Kazahaya gave a small sigh before opening his mouth to speak in a quiet and subdued voice, more befitting the dark moonlit room. "Rikuo…," he trailed off unsure. "You don't…" Rikuo regarded him out of the corner of his eye in a mixture of curiousness and suspicion. The look made Kazahaya promptly shut his mouth and he gave a small shake of his head. Hinting around wouldn't do either of them any good and he was never one for being any good at subtlety anyway. With a small wave of determination, he quickly propped himself up on an elbow to look down at his stoic roommate and bane of his existence.

"Do you regret this?" he blurted, his words rushing out and nearly slurring together as his golden eyes narrowed in accusation. Rikuo glared impassively at him for a few seconds without any indication of giving a response. Finally, with a roll of his eyes and an exasperated sigh, he shoved Kazahaya off so the brunette landed in a flourish beside him on the bed after rolling into the wall first and softly hitting his head. Rikuo rose from the bed, standing in one fluid motion, and started to walk towards the gap still in the curtains that they had forgotten to close earlier. "If you have to ask that, you're an idiot," he replied in a disinterested voice before ducking behind the stark white material. After hearing the click of the bathroom door shut, the remaining occupant of the bed pulled the sheet off of his head that had tangled around him somehow in the sudden dismounting. "I had wanted to shower first," he bemoaned to no one but himself. He gave a small frown, his eyes shifting to look at the split in the curtains that his comrade had left through and then to the space on the bed he had just been occupying. "And that didn't answer the question," he said with a small disappointed sigh, his voice seeming to echo in the big empty room.

He heard the spray of water coming from the bathroom before he zipped his pants back up and rolled off the bed. After retrieving his forgotten red shirt, he walked past the middle curtain over to his side of the room and began pulling clothes out of his dresser for the night.

---

When Rikuo finished his quick shower and exited the bathroom in his original clothes and running a towel over his hair in attempt to dry it before bed, Kazahaya already had his change of clothes in his hands and slipped right past him into the bathroom without a word. Apparently the smaller man was either in a rush to shower and get to sleep or was peeved with his roommate. Knowing Kazahaya, it was most likely a mixture of both. Rikuo muttered a "tch" when he heard the door shut, but proceeded to go about changing for bed regardless. He kicked off the uncomfortable jeans in favor of pulling on his sweat pants.

Kazahaya truly was an idiot. Of course he didn't regret what happened. If he had, well one, he wouldn't have done it in the first place. And two, he would have said something in that case. In fact, the only thing that had been bothering Rikuo afterwards that he had been dwelling on was the sad fact that he hadn't managed to make the empath scream his name as he had wanted. Aside from that small annoyance, Rikuo certainly wouldn't have allowed the overgrown housecat to lounge on him for ten damn minutes if he had been upset with the situation. Idiot. He threw his wet towel in the corner in irritation. He pulled off the blue shirt and was about to throw it as well when he paused and looked at his arm that was already lifted to throw, tracing the lines and curves of the black marks decorating his skin with his eyes. He realized then that Kazahaya still hadn't noticed…

He chucked the shirt in the corner and quickly pulled on his favorite black cotton t-shirt. Nevermind. It was a problem that could be dealt with at another time.

---

Kazahaya had managed to shower and dress in record time and emerged from the bathroom wearing a pair of sleep pants and a plain t-shirt, carrying his dirty clothes from the day. He was still irritated with his dark haired companion, but was also aware that although it hadn't been a direct answer to his question by any means, the 'answer' he had received was enough. However thoughts of what they had just done continued to plague him; what would happen now? Would things change between the two? Worse, would Rikuo find someway to use the new shift in their relationship to his advantage by finding new and much more torturous methods of waking him up in the morning? He recoiled in dread at the thought as a cold chill shot down his spine. Perhaps, instead of the flimsy excuse for a wall that the curtain provided, he could convince Kakei to give them money to build an actual wall to separate their 'rooms' and he could put deadbolts on his bedroom door. He gave a small dreamy smile as he stumbled in the dark across the 'living room' floor, deciding to ignore the harsh reality in favor of his imaginary benevolent and rich boss who would shower him with walls and locks at his bequest.

Speaking of curtains…Kazahaya's footsteps came to a halt when he realized that the curtains that separated Rikuo's space from the larger living room area and his side were all drawn closed, and only the curtain leading to his side was partially open. It seemed his roommate had decided to go to sleep and didn't want to be disturbed. Kazahaya immediately frowned but lifted a hand to his forehead to rub the resulting creases away that formed and then flipped his wet bangs back away from his face in annoyance. Man he lived with such a louse of a roommate. He stalked to his side and pulled the curtain away and took a step towards his bed before pausing.

There, bathed in the moonlight from the window right above the bed, was the aforementioned louse reclining on top of the sheets with one arm propped under his head while the other rested on his stomach, looking quite nonchalant with his eyes closed. As if this _wasn't_ the first time he'd ever been in Kazahaya's bed. Golden eyes narrowed in suspicion. Just as Kazahaya was about to demand an explanation, his rationale caught up to him; it was late, and frankly, he didn't really care why Rikuo was there. Instead, he just threw his clothes in a corner as he approached the bed and then lay down next to the taller boy without touching him. Something was still bothering him and he knew his new bedmate wasn't asleep yet seeing as there were no soft snores filling the room.

"Anoo, Rikuo…" He was strangely calm as he unobtrusively got Rikuo's attention, although the other boy didn't open his eyes or give any real indication of listening. He just knew that he was. And although, he should have probably been blushing at the very thought of this conversation, much less actually engaging in it, he felt as if he were merely asking about what the weather would be for the next day; boring and general easy-going conversation between the two. Nothing out of the ordinary. "Does this mean we're…you know…" But he still didn't want to say the word, even if he was perfectly blasé about it.

Apparently he didn't need to though, because the arm that had been draped across Rikuo's stomach moved to snake under Kazahaya's back and wrap around him to pull him to Rikuo's side. "We just _are_," Rikuo said evenly, his eyes still closed, providing another perfect example of Rikuo's cryptic 'non-answer answers'. Kazahaya mulled the words over in his head a few times, thinking about the context they provided to their vague relationship. They just _were_. Not necessarily dating. Not necessarily boyfriends. Not necessarily even friends. None of the common relationship related terms seemed to fit them well. So they just _were_ - something inconclusive and unresolved. He knew Rikuo well enough to figure out that veiled message amongst his few words, but in an odd way it provided him comfort regardless, as he was still unsure whether he would want to be officially 'dating' Rikuo since the word seemed out of place when it referenced his roommate and co-worker.

The just _were_…_together_.

Giving a small content smile, Kazahaya rolled towards Rikuo, his head finding a rather comfortable spot resting slightly beneath the other's own. "Why aren't we in your bed?" he asked with a yawn. The larger psychic gave a small grunt and shifted to his side to turn towards Kazahaya, bringing his other arm up to wrap securely around his middle. "Because your bed has two pillows, and I don't feel like fighting with you tonight over mine." Kazahaya resisted the urge to rolls his eyes. Of _course_ that was why Rikuo would be in his bed; anything less practical than that wouldn't be Rikuo. Whatever. He had just finished getting comfortable and closed his eyes ready for sleep when he heard Rikuo make a rather audible 'sniffing' sound. Before he even had the chance to question him, Rikuo poked his side with a hard jab of his finger. "Have you been using my shampoo again?"

And thus, the second Sunday of the month turned into the second Monday of the month due to a long discussion/argument over the "right's of shampoo owners" and the subsequently following "right's of the guy having sex with a jerk". This was quickly followed by the counterpoint of "right's of jerks who sleep with idiots" finally resulting in the use of the pillows and pushing individuals off of shared beds as legitimate strategies to winning a debate. Needless to say, the dispute extended well past midnight, with neither side really gaining ground to name a real winner. However, concessions were made by either side in an unprecedented compromise resulting in a repeat performance of late night activities, though by the end of the second time around they had been too tired to bother with a shower.

And when the morning of the second Monday rolled around and both of Kakei's employees happened to be late, before irritably beating on their apartment door to rouse them for work, he first begrudgingly handed 10,000¥ to the snickering man wearing sunglasses. "And I thought Rikuo was responsible," Kakei muttered to himself, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he headed back down the stairs after he heard shouting from inside the apartment of his two charges bickering over who's fault it was that they were both getting pay cuts for the day because of oversleeping. Kakei made a mental note to inform both of them as well of the discrepancy between number of sold products and inventory numbers for two particular products that he kept careful track of. Those two missing items would be coming out of both of their paychecks as well.

Too bad for them they both had a nine hour work day ahead of them.

-----------------------

A.N.: That's it. That's the end of Second Sunday. Were you pleased? I purposefully left a few loose ends to continue from this point a longer more complex story extending into the actual storyline more. But that's only if I have the resolve to start/finish it and motivation and encouragement from readers. We'll see. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this latest addition to the Legal Drug fanfiction universe and that your lips puckered from a hopefully good lemon. I look forward to any further thoughts or comments you may have. Hope to see you again soon readers.

~ C.D.


End file.
